Missundaztood
by GoodMorningFlower
Summary: Isn't life swell? When you know you are going no where any time soon. But the best thing is when you meet your idol, your hero and he turns out to be something completly different...I hate him but I'll see this through to the end. YAOI
1. Might Be the Way Everybody Likes To Say

**Missundaztood**

Chap 1 – I Might Be the Way, Everybody Likes To Say

I never saw anyone like him before. He had all the talent in the world; the grace, the style, the looks. He was an amazing creature that fascinated all who watched him perform. And while it was just a fantasy, I wanted to meet him. He was untouchable. Top of the game, A-List material. He had fan girls galore and was envied by all including me.

Yet despite all of this, his attitude was the only thing that could be worked on. He didn't seem to care about anything. He just passed by on the sets, winning awards and putting on a fake smile, feeding it to the willing and desperate. I can understand it somewhat. Being rich and famous will do that to you but this guy took it to a whole different level. He looked like a ghost most of the time.

Don't get me wrong. He was a fantastic actor and could sing and dance with the best of them and boy he could be really convincing during his TV interviews. Other than that he floated around in the tabloids; always hiding away and avoiding contact with the world if he could help it.

Even so, I know I would give anything to meet him in person and learn a few tricks from him. Though, me being me and him being him, I know that it's never going to happen no matter how much I wish for it. I mean, I'm just an entry level journalist. It's not a job I enjoy but hey, it pays the bills. And people at my level rarely ever get to interview celebrities and what not. I actually get all the funny stories. You know, the ones no one else wants to do? Like small local stories about some old lady who has been making chilli for the homeless for 50 years...

Don't judge me.

Like I said, it pays the bills.

Anyways, someone like me would never meet someone like him ever. The closest I could ever come was seeing one of his concerts and maybe getting a back stage pass and being able to get into the mosh pit. Its frustrating seeing as I own all his cds, seen all his movies and downloaded all the music videos onto my iPod.

Damn. I'm a loser. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to, be sheer happenstance, bump into him and have him teach me a dance or two. Wow, I got shivers just thinking about it.

Well back to reality! I wasted enough time in front of my desktop... work is over. Time to hit the restaurant and then home!

"Hey, Naruto! Could you give me a ride home? Sasuke is out of town again," my co-worker Sakura asked me. She was a pretty thing with bubblegum pink hair, sparkling emerald eyes and the fiercest personality I've ever encountered. Besides Ino's. Uchiha Sasuke was her boyfriend who just keeps disappearing on her. Like, weeks at a time and never gives her much notice so I always make sure to take time and keep her company. Everyone needs a friend, right?

I smiled at her, "Yeah for sure! I just gotta grab my coat and we can go!"

On the ride to Sakura's house we don't talk much. Never really do but we still sit in a comfortable silence. She's the kind of girl who suffers in silence because her problems aren't yours. I admire her courage but I'm just waiting for the day when she breaks down. I know its coming I just don't know when. That asshole boyfriend of hers really stresses her out.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura?" I smile as I come to a stop in front of her house. She grins at me and nods with a hint of sadness behind her emerald depths.

"Sure thing and thanks again, Naruto. You're a really good friend. Night!"

Sighing, I wait until she is safe inside before I drive away towards my home. My house is on the other side of town but it's only about a 10 minute drive. My day is so predictable. Get up, get ready for work, make myself look like an idiot for the boss, type away for 5 hours, get off work, go home, go to bed, and start over. Fascinating. I need a life.

It just doesn't get any better than this...

--

One week later

--

"You can't be serious!? That just isn't fair! She hasn't been here as long as I have! I have the best numbers, higher ratings, and more experience! I earned this!"

Life sucks some days...

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but Hinata earned it. She's been working more overtime than the entire office just to pull to the front. No sick days, covering everyone's shift. She deserves it. Next sweeps I'll consider giving you the big story, ok?" Tsunade told me calmly.

This just wasn't fair at all. "I work over time! I cover people's shifts, make a fool of myself on live TV! I've been hauling ass since I got here 4 years ago!" i pointed out. I just couldn't keep the desperateness out of my voice. Hyuuga Hinata, while cute and talented, just didn't deserve this as much as I thought I did...

"I'm sorry Naruto. Maybe next time."

"Jesus!" I growl, spinning around so fast I almost myself dizzy leaving her office. I wasn't happy but I guess I'll just suck it up till next month. What harm is there in waiting another month? It's not like I'm going anywhere.

"Naruto? Are you ok?" Sakura asked from the cubicle beside mine. I glance at her with sad, azure eyes.

"No, but I'll live, yeah?" I grin thinly.

"You didn't get the cover story, did you?" she asked, coming over to sit on the desk in front of me. She knew too well. She's been here a little less than I have and has seen everything I've been through. So I look at her tiredly and then glance away.

"It's not like it matters or anything. Nothing new really. I'll just wait. Hey, are you finished with my CD?" I ask, trying to wean her from the hurtful subject. I had leant her my CD last week with my all time favourite artist, the one I was telling you about before? She just wanted to listen and see why I was obsessed.

"Yeah, but it's at my house still. If you stick around I'll get it for you," she promised.

"What did you think of him?" I asked, turning back to my monitor filled with boring filler stories that I was still working on. Stories that were supposed to be done last week. Man, I just didn't have any motivation for a 24 year old.

"He's not bad but not my favourite. Sexy voice I'll give him that but he just seems... off. You know? But you can keep him to yourself," she smiled. I could tell that it was her attempt in making me smile so I did so with flourish.

"You don't know what you're missing!" I joke.

"Oh I sure do. Anyways, back to work. See you after?" she hopped down from my desk and sat back in her own cubicle.

"Yeah," I sigh. I need something better to do. Depression didn't suit me. I pulled out my headphones and plugged them into my iPod, turning it to dance music and blaring it as loud as I dare. The 'up' beat got my head twirling and I started typing like a demon. Maybe I could get through this day with as little pain as possible.

By the time work ended I was just about ready to shoot myself. Too bad I didn't own a gun. Just after lunch I had found out that Hinata would be interviewing the one person I idolize. Not only did I not get sweeps but I also missed on the most opportune moment to finally meet face to face with my star.

Hinata knew I liked him too. Mind you, she had her eyes set on one of the guys from the Korean band, Super Junior. But she still felt bad for taking the spot light from me. I had told it was ok; just get his autograph for me.

I was driving Sakura home and while I was waiting outside her house, the strangest thing happened. I don't know what it was or why it happened. It was just one of those moments that hit you in the face and leave you thinking, 'what the fuck?!'

"Could you show me where KAS Studio is? I have an appointment there in 15 minutes."

I couldn't believe my ears. I'd know his sultry voice anywhere. I literally leapt from my truck and starred, mouth open at the sight before me.

He was dressed casually with a white long sleeve shirt underneath a black collared button up shirt and a slightly loose fitting pair of dark grey dress pants and white shoes. His short black styled hair hung easily over his pale face and his black eyes were as emotionless as ever.

"Sai?" I muttered. I was in complete disbelief. How was it that my all time goal to meet him was right in my face yet all I could do was stare and drool in amazement?

"Sorry, I don't know where that is," the man replied. He was obviously clueless as to who Sai was. I was surprised and as Sai turned away hopelessly, my body finally snapped into life.

"Hey!" I called out. I was desperate. I ran up behind him and stopped short of clobbering the poor man. I just still couldn't believe it!

"You're looking for KAS Studios? I work there, I can take you," I offer in one breath. My blue eyes were fixed on his face. I didn't blink or glance away in fear that he might actually not be there.

"You can? That would be a big help. I'm Sai," he held out his hand and that fake smile that I came to recognize all too well. I took his hand and shook it firmly, refraining from the urge to shake his arm right out of his socket.

"Uzumaki Naruto! If you're a famous actor and singer, where are all your people? Cameras, crew?" I ask him, leading him back to my truck. He followed quietly. I almost thought that the raven wasn't going to reply to me when he finally slid into the passenger's seat and glanced at me under thick lashes.

"I ran away for a while," he admitted bluntly.

"Oh..." I sat staring at him for a moment before I shifted into drive.

"NARUTO!" a familiar voice screamed. My foot didn't leave the break as I glanced back up and I realized why I was here in the first place. Sakura came running out of her house with my CD waving in hand. I grinned and looked at Sai pointedly before looking at her again. She realized who I had in my truck and ran up, slamming the CD in my face as she leaned in through the driver's window to peer at Sai.

"Wow, Sai! In person! Naruto, your dreams have come true, yeah?" she giggled. "Nice to meet you Sai, I'm Sakura. I'll let you be. See you tomorrow, Naruto!" she winked knowingly at me before sliding back out my window and prancing back up to her house.

I growled a curse about frisky women before shoving my CD into the glove compartment.

"Sorry about her," I grin, finally easing off the brake and pushing on the gas. The soft purr of my engine fills the quiet space and I try not to fidget on the ride back to work.

"Your dreams have come true? I'm guessing you're a fan," he said monotonously. He looked out the window disdainfully and I couldn't help feeling embarrassed. Sure he's had crazy stalkers and fans before but he looked as if the world just crumbled.

"Well, yeah," I admit with a sheepish grin plastered on my face, "I only own every CD, seen every movie and admired all your music videos. But hey, no worries, I won't stalk you and tie you in my closet or anything," I laugh shortly, trying to make the boy smile. It failed. He only gazed out the window at the passing buildings and people.

"So, uh, why did you run away?" Man was it awkward trying to talk to someone as glum as he was.

"I don't like being crowded."

"Oh..."

The drive didn't seem to end quick enough. When I finally did pull up in front of KAS Studios; Konoha Air Show; I was kind of grateful. This sucks! All my life all I ever wanted was to meet the infamous Sai! I get the chance and all I got out of him was he ran away... awesome.

"So, this is KAS... Did you want me to bring you to the office or...?" I let my offer hang in the air. I wasn't too sure on what to make of him. I mean, he was the greatest actor, fantastic singer and fabulous dancer but in real life he was everything opposite of all my dreams. He wasn't nearly as cool as I thought he was.

"No, I can do it on my own. Thanks for the ride... I suppose you want something in compensation?" he asked almost fearfully. I cock an eyebrow at him and tilt my head. He had to be kidding.

"Uh... no, no not really. But uh, take care of yourself, k?" I offer a polite smile and he glances at me with a hint of curiosity in his black orbs. Those where the eyes of someone who had seen too much. I felt pity for him.

"Yeah..." he furrowed his brows but opened my door and stepped outside. I thought he was just gonna slam the door, walk away without looking back and I'd never see him again till his next performance on TV. However, he looked back at me, eyes almost pleading. It was strange really but maybe he would surprise the world, or me, by saying something unexpected?

"Thank you, Naruto. I was wondering if you would do me another favour?" he asked. His eyes were dim and his body language suggested loss. Like he didn't think I'd accept or do anything for him. I wanted to prove the star otherwise.

"Yeah sure. What's up?"

"Would you mind waiting till I get out? I know it's late but I don't exactly want to go back just yet..."

My, my, a certainly strange request. I only _just_ met him. 10 minutes ago. I, Uzumaki Naruto, met the famous Sai and here I was, getting asked to wait for him... what has the world come to? Why would he ask? And me, a stranger of all people. He could probably ask friggin Oprah Winfrey if he could stay with her, that's just how famous he was but he was asking ME?! Hell has frozen over.

"Yeah, I'll wait for you. I'll go park my truck and meet you in the front entrance," I reply quickly. I didn't want him to take back the offer. He nodded and grinned that fake grin. He shut my door and backed up so I could pull away. I glanced at him before driving into visitors parking. It was closer to the building than Employee parking. I ran back to the building and inside, hoping he didn't ditch me. That seems like something an actor would do to avoid a stalker...

Just as I was beginning to lose hope in searching, his black hair poked out of the main office door. I sighed happily and made my way over to his peering gaze.

"Thanks," he smiled. I nod and sit in the waiting chairs as he finished his meeting with my boss, Tsunade. I couldn't make out anything they were saying. Not that I was really trying, you know? I was still kind of sitting in a daze. I still wasn't really absorbing the information. Sai. THE Sai. The top ranked 'Hottie' of Konoha. The youngest actor/singer ever to receive the most awards in one year for both acting and singing. Not to mention the awards he got for his music videos. Holy crap this guy was the celebrity of celebrities. Right up there with friggin Harrison Ford and Brad friggin Pitt!

A tap on my shoulder jolted me from my thoughts to look up at the pale boy. He motioned for me to follow and I complied. I guess he finished his meeting with the old lady while I spaced out. I led him back over to my truck and hopped inside, starting the engine and waiting. Once he was buckled in I paused.

"So, uh, where to?" I asked cautiously. Where do stars normally want to go?

"Anywhere but here," he muttered. I swallow heavily before shifting into gear and pulling onto the main road. At a loss, I just decided to do my normal rounds. Restaurant, gas station, home. So I drove into parking lot of my favourite Dim Sum diner. I've been coming here for long enough to know that Suki, the owner and head chef, would have my order ready for me.

I parked and glanced at Sai. "It will just take me a minute, did you want me to grab you anything from here?" I offered. He looked nervously at a group of punk dressed teenagers crossing the street that were heading our way. I made a face and reached behind my seat. I tossed a blue baseball cap at him and took of my baggy black jacket and handed that to him too. He needed it more that I did. He didn't thank me but I didn't need him to. I knew he appreciated it.

He followed me out in his frail disguise into the restaurant. He stuck close to me and that made me smile. To think that this would ever happen to me at all? Sai, in my clothing, beside me in my favourite diner, hanging out with me and I haven't known him more than an hour.

"Naruto! You're a bit late! Your order is ready and I even threw in some extra noodles and sticky rice for you!" Suki greeted me cheerfully. I gave the woman my best smile and thanked her. She always took care of me. Her husband makes the best ramen in town and I've been a customer here since I was a kid. I was practically family here and it's been the only family I've ever had.

"Who is your friend, Naruto?" she asked suspiciously with a mischievous grin on her young face. She wasn't much older than me and Sai was only a month or so younger than me. Making him the perfect candidate for her approving eyes.

"This is Leeteuk, a good friend. Just visiting. Don't bother him much, Suki. He's not your type!" I wink at her as i grab the bag of food from the counter.

"Wait! Here are some extra spring rolls for you as well!" she happily grabs a plate from a passing cart and dumps the contents into a container and hands it to Sai. "Enjoy!" she smiles too-sweetly at him. I find myself grinning from ear to ear as I thank her and head back out to my truck.

"Man! Good thing she gave us extras. This will feed us both! One more stop then we can head home, k?" I set the food between us and start my truck again. Sai just buckles in and looks at me from the corner of his eyes. I'm not too sure on what he wants so I stayed silent. If he wants to say something, he will say it.

At the gas station I push $40 at Yesung. He threw his skinny arms around my neck and squeezed.

"Naruto, you're seriously the greatest! How can I ever repay you?" he pulled back to look at me with tears in his brown eyes. The 18 year old boy was a good friend of mine. I helped him out of many tight spots. I'm not too sure why I took to him but I've been looking out for him since he was a kid. I guess he was just similar to me.

"Just take care of yourself for me, kay?" I ruffle his red spiky hair with affection. He grins that stupid grin and hugs me again.

"Naru, can I stay at your place again soon? I really miss you," he pleads, letting go of my neck. I poke his forehead with my index and middle fingers and smirk as he makes a face. He knows what the fingers mean.

"You always say that, Naru. But 'maybe next time' doesn't work for me anymore! I'm coming over this weekend!" he announced. I shake my head but I do nothing to argue. In truth, I miss my old friend too.

"Sure. I'll pick you up Friday night, ne?"

"YEAH!"

"See ya!" I wave and leave the store. As I slide back into the truck I notice something different. "Sai?" I look at the black haired man. He looks at me in something close to fear.

"What's wrong?" I ask, knitting my brows together.

"I didn't mean to get you involved," he whispered. He wouldn't look me in the eye and I felt my heart throb painfully inside my chest. Just what the fuck was going on? I nearly yelped when someone knocked on my window. I jumped and tried to calm my startled breathing as I unrolled it to a professional looking man in a business suit.

"Excuse me, what's your name," he asked. His one visible eye was half lidded and uncaring but his voice held an under tone of authority that I didn't want to question at that moment.

"U-Uzumaki Naruto..." I stuttered out. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. This was quickly turning into a situation I didn't like. Staying calm would be very important at this point.

"Could you step out of the car please?" the man asked. I frowned and looked him up and down. He didn't look like a cop. Why would I listen to him?

"May I ask why?" I tried to be as polite as I could. Being mean would only cause more trouble and I had a feeling I was already deep in it.

"You are being arrested for attempted kidnapping and knowingly funding illegal drug trafficking. Step out of the car please."

"WHAT?!" I couldn't keep my cool. The first one I could kind of understand but illegal drug trafficking? That was unbelievable. "I didn't do any of those! Sai asked me to keep him company. He didn't want to go back. And I have nothing to do with drugs!" I felt my face scowl, my sharp canines biting into my lower lip. This was a royal pain in my ass.

"Please, Kakashi let him be," Sai finally spoke up. "I asked him to drive me around. You of all people should know me by now," he emotionlessly. I looked back at him and saw that he was staring out the windshield with a slight scowl on his pale face.

"That may be true though what about the drug charge? Going to clear his name of that too?" Kakashi's voice got firmer and Sai's eyes flashed up to Kakashi's cold ones.

"Hold on, are you talking about the money I gave to Yesung? That's not fair; I gave it to him for food. He has it rough at home. I've been helping him out since he was a kid!" I said in my defence. I couldn't believe they thought I was a drug trafficker. The problems that came with fame... I felt sorry for Sai.

Kakashi only glanced at me before straightening and walking over to Sai's side of the truck. He opened the passenger door and stepped aside, waiting for the man to step out. Only Sai didn't. He merely glanced at me before grabbing the door from Kakashi and swung it shut. He pushed the auto lock and grinned lightly at the slightly shocked look on Kakashi's masked face.

"Sai, please don't do this again. Just come back with us. You have an airing on KAS tomorrow. After that, we are going back to Korea. Ok?" Kakashi's voice sounded muffled through my window. I glanced at Sai and he didn't seem too pleased at Kakashi's proposal.

"Start the engine," Sai breathed.

I looked at him in disbelief. He couldn't be serious. I glanced back out the window at the silver haired man. He looked angry. Beyond angry. Downright pissed off. I looked back at Sai. If I had to make a bet on who would win at the moment I would choose Sai. He wasn't moving a millimetre for this man. I started my engine. Kakashi's eye lighted with understanding and he immediately spoke into the cuff on his jacket sleeve.

"Drive!" Sai ordered. Without putting much thought into what I was doing, I floored the gas and cursed when my truck lurched forward then slowly crawled up to the speed I wanted it to go. Damn thing. I have to get it fixed or something. I tore out onto the main road almost causing an accident on the way and I drove about 15 over the speed limit.

"Where to, boss?" I joked, gritting my teeth. I assumed I wouldn't be able to get home anymore and the Dim Sum I had sitting next to me still was cold by now.

"Just drive. Anywhere but here. Get out of town," he demanded. His jaw was just as locked as mine was, if not more. I didn't want to argue but this was all nonsensical to me. I met Sai just a little while ago and from there things just turned weird. Though maybe now wasn't the time for questions. My main focus was to get off these roads safely and as discreetly as possible so as not to kill anyone in our flight for freedom.

Two hours later found me in a town quite a ways away from my home town. Konoha was no longer visible in my rear view and my tank was low on gas. I glanced wearily over at Sai to see if he was still on edge.

Apparently he wasn't; he was passed out, leaning against the door with his head slumped forward and against the window. Even in his sleep the poor man looked older and more stressed beyond his years. Again I felt a surge of pity for him. While he may be an actor, singer and dancer he was still too young to be facing such stressful situations. Though I would still like to be informed on why he was, in his own way, kidnapping me. I thought I deserved to know.

Ruffling my blonde hair tiredly, I read the next sign coming up on the road. My high beam caught it and reflected the names back to me. Great, the town of Rain was coming up soon but if I wanted to go to Suna I'd have to turn off here right away. I glanced back at Sai who was still fast asleep. Where would he want to go?

I thought about it for a minute and decided to signal. I got into the turning lane and drove up on the overpass. I never thought I'd see the day when I returned to Suna... I guess I don't really have much of a choice...

Sai better fucking appreciate this.

--

"G'morning, sunshine," I rapped on the passenger side window. Sai jolted awake, eyes widened and he swung his head around fast enough to give him whiplash. He looked terrified for an instant before he looked at me. Once his onyx eyes settled on me he instantly appeared relaxed. As if the sight of me offered some sort of comfort. I guess I was the one to take him away.

"I brought you breakfast," I smiled, holding up the Dim Sum bag to the window. He frowned at it at first but then shrugged and opened the door, sliding his legs so that they hung out.

"How was your sleep?" I asked, leaning against my truck and opening the bag of Dim Sum. It was from last night yeah, and it is the type of food you have to eat fresh but I didn't feel like spending money and while I stopped for gas I figured I could just heat it back up.

Sai rubbed his eyes and glanced at me then at the food I was bringing out. I handed him the spring rolls and sticky rice along with a pair of chop sticks. He took it gratefully and broke the sticky rice enough to grab good sized clumps. I watched the steam rise from the packaging before turning to pull out the honey chicken skewers.

It really was a good idea that Suki gave me extra food. By the time Sai and I had finished eating there was virtually nothing left but the empty packages and we were still hungry. I threw the packaging away and sat back in my truck, leaving the doors open for fresh air. Leaning back, I ruffled my hair again and looked over at Sai.

"So, what do you think we should do about this? I probably have warrant out for my arrest and you're going to be forced to go back anyways... but I have one question," I waited until Sai looked back at me to continue. When his eyes met mine I scowled.

"Why in the entire world did you drag me into this?!"

Sai shrugged and looked away for a moment. He looked back at the gas station and then down at the floor. "You had a vehicle within my reach," he said quietly.

"YOU USED ME!?" I yelled. I was sitting upright and facing him now with a fierce glare set firmly in place. I knew he was but I thought that maybe I would have been a bit more than a convenience. "You know, you're an asshole. I had a good life going for me and now... ugh I can kiss my career good bye. And Yesung is gonna have it bad without me... dammit!" I hit my head against the steering wheel and stayed there with my eyes tightly closed.

"Look, I'm sorry. You can go back if you want," he muttered. I opened an eye to look at him. He was taking my ball cap off and my jacket.

"You think I'll leave you here? Are you nuts?" I grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to me before he could get out the door. He seemed shocked and rightly so but I would win this. I leaned over him and reached for the door, closing it firmly. I sat back down and he just looked at me as if I grew a third head. "I'm not leaving you till we talk this out!" I growled.

He turned away from me, looking out the window again. "I don't have anything to tell you. You're just here by convenience. You were merely my way out," he said monotonously. I bristled. How dare he?!

"If that's the case then I can bring you right back, sunshine!" I slammed my door shut, locked the doors and windows and started my truck. It didn't matter that we were an hour away from Suna. I would drive 6 hours back to Konoha! I reversed and straightened out, pulling back onto the highway and sped back towards my home.

"Hey! Stop, please!" he yelled at me. He tugged on my arm and looked at me pleadingly. "Please don't go back, not yet!"

"Why should I? You're nothing but a spoiled actor who uses people and you know what?! I bet you don't even remember my name! ASS!" I vented, keeping well over the speed limit.

"Listen to me, Naruto, I can't go back. They are going to bring me back to Korea and I can't go there..."

"Why?" I demanded.

"My adoptive parents are there!" he said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I didn't understand.

"Is that bad?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Yes! You don't know them. I can't go back, Naruto please!"

"Then tell them that. You're over the legal age, you're the big famous rich kid. What's wrong?" I slowly took my foot off the gas, letting my truck settle into the normal speed limit and I tried to catch glimpses of Sai's face. His fearful face was turned away from me.

"It's something I don't share with anyone ok? I just can't go back."

"Well we can't exactly stay on the run for the rest of your life. Why don't you bring a friend with you to Korea? That way you won't be alone?" I suggested. I didn't know what it was like for him growing up but I was positive that if he had someone there then it couldn't be that bad.

"That would work if I had friends," he retorted.

"Then bring that Kakashi guy or someone you work with. It couldn't be that hard to bribe someone to be your friend."

This is when I figured something was wrong with him. For all his attitude I now started to believe that he was forced to be like this. "I've already tried." I glanced at him again and saw that through his black hair covering his face, he looked in pain. I didn't doubt it either.

"Ugh, ok how about this," I shook my head. I just don't know when to quit, do i? "When we get back, apologize to everyone and clear my name. Then when it comes time for you to go to Korea, I will go with you. Sound fair?"

Sai lifted his head to look at me. I tried to look at him for as long as I could to let him know I wasn't kidding. But driving and looking don't mix that well. Eventually, I turned off to a roadside bathroom and parked the truck. I turned to him and stared him straight in the eyes without blinking.

"You would do that?" he asked incredulously.

I shrugged. "You aren't a complete stranger you know. I know a lot about you from your music and the news and whatnot. I'm the perfect friend!" I laughed. I rested my arm on the back of the seats and reached my free hand towards him and offered a handshake. He looked down at it then at me, disbelief written on his perfect, pale features. "Don't worry, Sai. I never go back on my word. If there is something you'd like to add to the deal, go ahead!" I plastered a large grin on my face, trying to make him more comfortable around me.

"Why are you doing this after everything I've said to you?"

"Dunno. I guess I just like helping people," I shrugged.

"So as long as I keep you out of jail, you'll come with me to Korea?" he asked, clarifying.

"Yup, that's what I said."

"Then I want one more thing from you," he said firmly.

"Like what?"

"You have to pretend to be my boyfriend."

I had to pause at that.

"WHAT?!" I pulled my hand back in a flourish and stared at him incredulously. He couldn't be serious. "What the, why the fuck would you, I mean, really? Why?" I blabbered on, not entirely sure what to make of his question.

"Naruto, it's just pretend. My adoptive parents have always hated me. And to make them mad I told them I had a boyfriend a while back. Obviously it didn't work because they still want to see me but now they are expecting to meet my supposed boyfriend," he explained. "You don't even have to do anything. You don't have to hold hands or kiss or even sleep in the same room as me. Just say you're my boyfriend and it'll be ok!"

He looked depressed. Like he hated lying yet it was just something to protect himself. How could I turn away when he needed me? I may not know him, I may only have just met him and he may be an actor while I'm just a junior at KAS, but fuck! My idol needed me! The man I'd always wanted to meet. This was my once in a lifetime chance! FUCK YEAH!

"Sure."

He looked shocked for a moment but then something epic happened.

He smiled at me.

--


	2. I Know What You're Thinking About Me

**Missundaztood**

Chap 2 – I Know What You're Thinking About Me

I was still partially stunned by the time we returned to Konoha. The first thing I did was give Sai my phone. He immediately phoned Kakashi and told him the situation. Kakashi seemed compliant enough and came and picked up the actor.

"Will you come with me?" Sai asked as he handed me my baseball cap and jacket. I looked at Kakashi and the numerous bodyguards around my truck and his limo. They all looked stern and mean. Unfriendly and disapproving. Sai needed a friend.

"Sure," I smiled. I crawled into the limo after Sai and Kakashi and lifted my phone into view. New text message?

'_Naru where r u? Hag is pissed... r u ok?'_

I grinned at Sakura's message. She always made me smile. I replied back; '_Sry, kidnapped lol. On my way back to hell. B there soon.'_

_**Incoming call from: Hag!! :-(**_

'Shit!' I thought as I pushed the talk button.

"Hello?"

"_BRAT! Where the fuck are you? Did you do this to me on purpose? This is a bit radical, even for you, Uzumaki! Just because you didn't get sweeps is no reason to go and KIDNAP the star of today's show! The second you step foot in this studio, your ass in mine!" _

I had to pull the phone away from my sensitive ear. Her voice was harsh and loud enough as is without her screaming at me. Sai made a face and, from what I could tell, Kakashi was smirking. Hard to tell though... he was weird wearing an eye patch and some kind of mask over the lower part of his face.

"I'm sorry, Tsunade! I didn't mean to, really. I'm bringing him back now, I swear!" I whined into the phone.

"_You better pray for your life. Bring a shovel while you're at it and write your will. You're dead!"_

"Tsunade!" I whined. I couldn't believe this. This was awful! I was probably going to lose my job over this...

Sai grabbed my phone. "Tsunade? This is Sai... yes I'm quite fine. Naruto did exactly as I told him to so please don't get angry with him. You of all people should know how press blows things out of proportion... yes I understand but that is irrational anger I believe. Naruto is currently doing me a favour. I'll explain everything when I get to the studio in a few minutes... yes, to you too." He hung up the phone and handed it to me with a sense of finality and I stared at him with shock.

"What was...?"

"We had a deal, I'm just holding up my end."

"Oh."

--

Needless to say, my days were going interesting. As an added part of the deal for Sai, I had to go public with this facade. The only way his parents would believe him was if there was a history and background that they could check into. Therefore making me the ultimate topic of conversation in the office and many other places.

I had to go on 'dates' with him to restaurants where we conversed lightly. We didn't really progress into a topic that included anything a couple would need to know like; where were you born? Your favourite hobby? Favourite food/colour/past time?

I had to go to certain auctions and charity events and even TV shows... I was quickly gaining a fame I did not really want. I was happy where I was, being a journalist and occasional radio talk show host. I was making enough money to live off of and still give some over to Yesung. Who, by recent events, ended up being left behind and I felt so bad for that. Yesung was a childhood friend even though I was 6 years older. He was family and leaving him behind to fend for himself, even if it has only been a week, made me feel horrible. I constantly asked Sai if I might invite the boy over to my home, as that was where Sai was staying amongst this whole mess.

Things became chaotic. I couldn't control anything anymore. And with me being a bit OCD, I had an issue with this. Sai led me everywhere with him and Kakashi came along for the ride. The body guard understood the situation and didn't agree with it but with Sai being his boss, he chose to go along with it. He made it clear, however, that after Korea, I would no longer have any part in Sai's life. I wasn't sure I agreed with that but it was really up to Sai and the man wasn't saying anything at this point.

Not to mention my life at work got a bit more complicated. Since my large voyage into the other side of the media world, I have not been left alone. My co-workers wouldn't stop pestering me. Sakura especially being the worst of them. But other than her there was Shikamaru, a bored and distracted man, Lee, a freakishly youth-obsessed weirdo, and Suigetsu, a man with whom I clashed terribly but somehow our friendship worked.

Constant snide remarks, teasing gestures, and constant sticky-notes on my computer asking me if I got laid. They never actually cared that I was 'gay'; they just wanted to tease me because, in all reality, I had never really been in a relationship before. The hard part of it all was that I couldn't tell them the truth. Sai forbade me, saying that the less people knew about the truth, the more believable the lie would be. I felt really bad for lying to all of them, really, but Sai and I had a deal. A deal on which I felt cheated.

Think about it.

All he had to do was keep me out of jail and keep me from losing my job. I've got to announce to the entire friggin world that I'm 'gay' and I have to let the bugger live at my house and to top it all off, I've gotta go to Korea to meet his parents and help them understand Sai's sexual preference. It seemed a simpler concept when I first made the deal...now, I had my doubts.

I sighed and ruffled my hair for the millionth time today. I stared at the blank screen on my computer and _had_ been staring at it all day. I just couldn't focus. I couldn't come up with anything creative with my work. Really. It had been like this for the last two days, seeing as on Saturday I would be taking a plane from my cozy home town to Korea. For 2 weeks. Pretending to be gay. For an actor whom I was quickly disliking.

"Naruto, you should really finish that report. Tsunade is starting to get angry with you," Sakura grinned behind me, "Or are you thinking about your husband too much?" she giggled.

"Can it," I growl, putting my fingers to the keyboard and typing up a short sentence or two that made no sense. But Sakura wasn't finished with me yet.

"Oh, but sweet Naru-kun, I only want to look out for you and your family," she used her overly sugar-coated voice, like rot your teeth sweet, and it made me scowl. I hated that voice. I knew it all too well and it didn't bring back friendly memories. But thank God it was Friday. And almost quitting time to boot.

"Why are you so defensive, Uzumaki?" Shikamaru poked his head over the wall between out cubicles and looked at me quite lazily. He was the kind of guy who really didn't give a shit about anything and would be perfectly happy if you dumped him in a field for a while. Weirdo.

"I'm just stressed. I'm going to Korea tomorrow to meet his parents and stay for 2 weeks..." I confess, lowering my hurting head onto my folded arms on my desk. I was starting to get migraines. What a pain. Once I get back from Korea, I might agree with Kakashi and stay away from Sai...

"Oh, really? Tsunade doesn't mind?" Sakura asked incredulously, sitting on my desk beside me. I sighed and nodded slowly, not lifting my head from my arms. I was much too tired.

Shikamaru snorted and sat back down behind the wall. Sakura however didn't get the hint. She didn't really want to let this bit of news unattended. "Oh, Naruto, isn't that supposed to be exciting? You've always liked Sai and now he's living at your house. I thought you would have been ecstatic and maybe call in sick to work every day so you could glomp him?" she asked, smoothing out invisible wrinkles in her light green, knee length skirt.

"He's not the person I thought he would be..." I mumbled into my arms. "I used to pity him thinking he just needed someone to be nice, listen, take him away for a while...instead, he turns into a complete ass while I do everything in my power to make him happy...he even calls me names..." I explain sadly, turning my head to look up at her. "It's depressing."

Sakura smiled sadly at me and patted my shoulder lightly and hopping down from my desk. I could see the sadness in her emerald eyes and I instantly thought of Sasuke. The bastard was so cruel to her yet she loved him unwaveringly. She took the punishment without complaint and it made me feel worse knowing I couldn't do anything about it. She probably felt the same way for me. You can't help others if you can't help yourself.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. But maybe he just hasn't come to understand you just yet? He just needs to warm up to you is all," she grinned, gripped my shoulder and walked back to her cubicle. I kinda felt like an ass. I'll make it up to her one day. Maybe I'll bring Sasuke to her and make him realize his issues?

Quitting time comes around and I pack up my stuff and throw on my jacket. It was starting to get cold out with it being September and all. Donning my blue baseball cap over my sunshine mop of hair, I march through the parking lot to my beat up old truck. I loved my truck. It's a '96 ¾ ton red Chevy. A bit slow and run down with a bit of rust on her rims but she got me from A to B without a problem and didn't need too much maintenance. She made me realize that it was almost kind of pointless to have brand new, expensive, race cars. What was the point? You just need them to get to the office and home and a few places in between.

It was slightly frustrating as I waited for her to warm up. She didn't have a/c either so during the summer, my a/c was rolling down the god damned windows. Which weren't automatic. You actually had to manually roll them up or down. Didn't bother me, but it bothered the other occupants of my truck. People who were used to the new, high end cars. They just didn't appreciate Ol' Red for what she was.

Anyways, I hopped into Ol' Red and started her engine, listening to it roar to life. She hummed loudly, but happily and the stereo, which is the only new thing about her; instead of a cassette player, a CD player, started blaring the pop music I loved so much. Though, looking for a change, I tuned it to the local country station and smiled as an old classic started blaring.

"..._pyramid of cans in the pale moon light,_

_Talkin' 'bout cars and dreamin' bout women,_

_Never had a plan, just-a livin' for the minute!_

_Yeah way down yonder on the Chattahoochee  
Never knew how much that muddy water meant to me  
But I learned how to swim and I learned how I was  
A lot about livin' and a little 'bout love..."_

Ah, good Ol' Alan Jackson. He's got an awesome voice too. I started singing to the song and bobbing my head lightly as I pushed on the brake and shifted into reverse. I quickly pulled out of the parking lot and took off to the gas station Yesung worked at. Today would be the last day I got to see him for 2 weeks, meaning I would have to give him enough money to last him that time. I walked through the door and smiled as bright as I could. Yesung leapt over the counter and bounced into my arms.

"NARU! I miss you, bro! I know I can't come see you right away, but please, as soon as you can! You promised!" he whined, his face buried in my chest. His brown eyes dampened my shirt as he squeezed me. The poor boy must be having it rough at home again.

"I know, I'm so sorry, Sun-Kun, really. It's been hard on the both of us lately. But I promise, as soon as I come back I'll bring you over for the weekend. We'll see ok?" I hugged him back and whispered into his dark hair. I felt really bad for him. Really. He was my little brother and I couldn't do anything for him. Even though the boy is 18, I can't take him away from his mother. Yesung was the oldest of 4. He had to take care of the little ones while his mother did whatever she did and neglected her family.

Yesung gripped my shirt tightly and pulled me closer to him. My heart throbbed painfully in my chest. I wanted so badly to help them all but all I could do was give him support and money to feed them. "I'm sorry, Sun-Kun," I whispered again, squeezing the fragile body again before pulling away slightly and letting him wipe his face free of tears.

"Thanks, Naru. You really are the sweetest person on this planet. I'd kiss you if I could," he laughed shortly and stepped away. I grinned. He always tried to look happy for me.

"Well thanks. Anyways, since I'll be gone for 2 weeks, I'll give you a bit more money to last you. Call me if you need me and I swear I'll come back to help you, ok?" I smile and hand him an envelope with his name in my messy scrawl. He took it and I watched as his chocolate eyes widened.

"Holy crap, Naru, how much did you give me?" he asked, feeling the weight of the money.

I shook my head, "Don't open it till your safe at home, ok? I gotta go so I'll talk to you later, yeah?" I patted his shoulder and left the gas station. Back in my truck, I sighed. I had given him a large portion of my pay check. Much more than he needed but the purpose of that was for new clothing or whatever he felt like buying. $200 should last him a while.

As I pulled into Ichiraku's Diner, Suki was already standing outside waiting for me, a large bag of food in her hands.

"Suki?" I asked, hopping out of my truck and walking up to her. She had tears in her black eyes and she passed me the full bag of food. It must have contained 2 or 3 night's worth of dinner in there. "Suki, this is too much!" I breathe as I adjust it so I can look in her young face.

"Naruto, I just want you to take care of yourself, ok? I worry about you. I've seen all the TV shows you've been on... I think he's using you..." she sniffed and wiped her tears away. She was never one for trying to be happy when she wasn't. She let you know when there was something wrong and I liked that about the woman.

"No need to worry, Suki-Chan. We've got an understanding," I smile.

"Still, just stay safe," she hugged me awkwardly but tightly and shuffled back inside, giving me her best wishes on my trip. I felt even worse as I climbed back into my truck and sped home. I was really starting to get worried. Maybe I shouldn't go? I know I made a deal and I never go back on my word, but this was scaring me. I've never left my country before. I've always stayed in the vicinity of Konoha and Suna. They were my places of origin.

Going to Korea would be the first time I've ever truly left home.

It was scary.

"Tadaima!" I call into my home as I walk in and kick off my shoes. I stumble into the kitchen and fight to set down the large bag of food Suki gave me.

"Okaeri," the whispered reply sounded right beside me. My heart leapt and I whipped around, nearly dropping the food, and looked with shocked eyes at Sai. He liked doing that, showing up out of nowhere to scare me! Bastard... I'll eat his share of food if he keeps doing that...

"Sweet Jesus, Sai! Do you have to do that?" I growl, trying to keep my breathing even as I glare at the uncaring man.

"It's not my fault you're so unobservant," he stated, not pulling his black eyes away from mine. Sai really was scary. Really, no joke.

Don't judge me.

"Whatever, pervert. Grab your food," I glare as hard as I can before turning around and unloading the food from the bag. I opened the containers one by one and set them so they were easy access to everyone. Yes, everyone. Since Sai started living here a week ago, Kakashi had taken it upon himself to move in as well. He slept on my couch. Personally though, I don't think he sleeps.

"OI!" I scream and whirl around to face a smirking Sai. "What the hell?!" I growl.

"You said grab your food," he tilted his head slightly. You know, from all the tabloids and shit I've read about him, nothing there states how much a pervert Sai was. He just grabbed my ass! I turned around again and grabbed plated and chopsticks quickly. I set them down and grabbed my food as quickly as I could and marched into the living room, muttering something incoherent about having Sai's ass handed to him...

"Naruto, I took the liberty of packing your bags. We leave tonight on the 12:37 flight," Sai stated, walking in after me with a plate of food of his own. He sat beside me on the couch and watched me closely for a minute. I glared at him.

"Hey, wait. Where's Kakashi?" I ask, suddenly realizing that the grey haired man wasn't here. He's always in every room Sai is in... Creepy kind of. But since it was Kakashi's job to be Sai's body guard I couldn't blame him so I put up with it.

"Today is his 37th birthday so I sent him away. He can enjoy himself and will meet us at the airport later on," Sai explained. His black orbs turned towards the TV that I had turned on just a moment ago.

"...seems like famous actor, Sai, will be taking a flight to Korea for a while with his new lover, one Uzumaki Naruto. Sources say that Naruto and Sai haven't been together long but already live together. Also, as rumour has it, the couple is taking off to Korea to visit Sai's adoptive parents and to ask their blessing for their relationship. We don't know how true this statement is but we can all assume that Sai has certainly fallen for this rare, blonde, blue eyed beauty! Now turning to..."

I clicked the power button and grumbled unhappily as I shoved the rest of my food down in silence before heading to my room. My house was a 3 bedroom, 1 floor house with a tiny basement where my laundry machines are. Needless to say, it was a small place but it suited me. I had the master bedroom and a spare bedroom for guests and I had converted my 3rd bedroom into my office. My computer, desk, filing cabinet and tack board were in there along with my bookcase and cabinet with my printer and everything stored in it.

So when I went to my bedroom, I passed my office and spare bedroom which was home to Sai for the time being. After undressing and changing into more casual and comfortable clothing I grabbed my towel and headed into the bathroom.

Living alone has its perks. Before Sai moved in, I kept the bathroom door open while I showered. That way steam wouldn't stay and suffocate me and the mirror wouldn't be fogged up. That and the fact that my ventilation system was broken and I hadn't had a chance to fix it yet so keeping the door open was mostly beneficial.

Until Sai moved in...

He seemed to think that when a door is open, he was allowed to enter. With this thought in mind, he liked to come into the bathroom while I was showering...

This, for the most part didn't bother me. I mean really, we are both guys, it's not like he's never seen another male body before and it's not like I have something he doesn't. So he sometimes comes in and he might make a comment or ask a question and he leaves so I'm not bothered. But then there was that one day, on Tuesday, where he thought it would be ok to open the shower curtain to talk to me!

Since then I've told him not to come into the bathroom while I showered but it hasn't worked yet...

So I turned the water on and undressed while I waited for the water to turn hot. Climbing in, I shivered as the hot water hit my cool skin and I sighed as I felt goose bumps rise over my skin. God this felt amazing. I stood there for a bit before wetting my hair. It was only 8 so I had time to take a long shower.

"Naruto?" Sai's voice came from the bathroom door. I sighed and closed my eyes, lifting my arms to my hair and running my fingers through my silky mop of hair.

"Yes Sai?"

"Do you work out?"

"Eh?"

"You've got strangely toned abs for someone who eats junk food every day," he said. His voice sounded close so I opened one cerulean eye and it immediately locked on Sai's face. He was just peeking around the side of my shower curtain. He wasn't being sarcastic or grinning wolfishly, he was just stating a fact.

I felt my cheeks flushing a light pink and I closed my eyes again, massaging my scalp with light fingers. "Thanks I guess," I muttered. I wasn't really afraid of him looking at me. I wasn't. I never had a girlfriend or anything before so I don't think anyone has really seen me nude before. And now that it crossed my mind, I kinda like being complimented. My body just naturally takes care of itself... I mean, once in a while I do go to the gym to keep my cardio in shape but other than that, my body does what it does.

It works for me so why change it?

"You didn't answer my question," Sai said, not tearing his eyes away from my stomach and toned v-muscles of my hips.

"No, I don't work out. Not often anyways. I just go to keep my arms toned and so I can keep my cardio up, that's all," I explain as I reach for the shampoo bottle. Lathering it into my hair I sigh and relax my tense shoulders. Maybe I should go to the pool one of these days and go do some laps? That might make me feel a bit better.

"Naruto?"

I sigh loudly, "Yes, Sai?"

"Can I touch you?"

I whirl around, shampoo still bubbly in my hair and I yelp noisily and jump back against the cold tile wall of my shower.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! GET OUT!" I scream. What the Hell did he think he was doing? This isn't 'shower fun for two' this is MY SHOWER! He was stark naked and standing in the shower with me. And because it's a small shower the water I was just under was now soaking his skin.

Sai just smiled that annoying fake smile of his and tilted his head slightly to appear innocent. But I knew better. This guy is anything but innocent.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, I couldn't resist. Your body is just wonderful. May I touch you?" he asked me again. It scared me sometimes how open he was. This was kind of disturbing... we weren't even fucking dating! Hell, I don't even think I like guys and yet here he was, pale skin dripping wet with the hot water and asking to touch me... you tell me, 'cause I can't seem to figure this out... is this normal for two guys?

"Uh, look, Sai... we aren't dating... this is something couples do and uh... I would feel uncomfortable if you... I mean, it's not like... really, and seriously, I don't go that way and..."

His cold hands grazed my stomach and I instinctively tensed. He moved his body closer to mine. So close, in fact, that I could see old scars gracing his sunless skin. For a moment I was intrigued by his skin. Most it looked like it was carved from pure white marble. He almost glowed he was so pale. But there, on his thighs, shoulders and on his sides were prominent, long and disfiguring scars. I was so drawn to them that I didn't notice when he was almost flush against me.

"Where did... how did you get those scars?" I ask, shuddering lightly as his soft fingers brushed gently over my stomach and slid around my side to my muscled back.

"Long story," he whispered into my ear. It was then that I realized how close he got to me. I blinked down at him, though he was only about an inch shorter than me, and pushed my arms in between us and pushed. He didn't fight back. He stepped back and looked up at me. His black hair was slick against his face, water running over his pale pink lips and down over his lean shoulders. I had to admit he was quite sexy, despite his almost transparent skin.

"Ah, uhm, I'll let you have the shower," I stumbled over my words as I quickly rinsed my hair and stepped out, grabbing my towel. I quickly towelled my hair then wrapped my towel around my waist. Exiting the bathroom, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I listened to the water for a bit more and tried picturing what Sai was doing. Was he leaning back into the water like I was? Running his long fingers through his silky black hair? Was he stretching his lean muscles and getting relaxed by the water?

I felt a blush cover my face again and I shook my head quickly and wandered into my room. It was 8:45 pm. I hadn't realized I spent so much time in the shower... I slipped back into my comfortable clothes that I grabbed from the bathroom and towelled my hair one more time before going into the kitchen.

This was going to be awkward.

--

"Sai-San, did you make it here ok?" Kakashi asked Sai as we approached the stoic man. He slipped his book out of sight as we came closer but I swear it was the newest book of Icha Icha Paradise...don't tell me Kakashi is a pervert too!?

"No, we made it just fine. Naruto paid for the taxi," Sai smiled as we made our way to security. For the occasion, Sai had asked to borrow some of my clothes. He donned my blue baseball cap and light leather jacket as well as some baggy black sweat pants and a 3 times too large t-shirt that said 'If it wasn't for taxes, I'd never get fucked.'

He looked different just with the clothes and he liked it. He wasn't hoarded by girls or guys as we stood through security and finally made our way to our terminal. Our small group was silent as we made our way through the crowds and to the plane. When we boarded, I hadn't realized Sai had money. I mean, he always had money but I had forgotten until I got on the plane. We were seated first class. Way more room than I thought there would be and the seats looked so comfy. I couldn't wait to sit down and enjoy the softness.

"Naruto, over here," Sai called me back to reality and I quickly followed him to our seats. Sai and I were sitting together while Kakashi would sit near the back so he could watch everyone and judge how safe Sai was on the plane. I sat down in the aisle seat and Sai sat by the window. He looked at me with a smile, a fake one, and just stared at me.

"Yes?" I asked, growing a bit uneasy under his piercing gaze. To be honest it felt like he was undressing me with his eyes and it slightly unnerved me...

"You've got a sexy body," he stated, keeping that gross smile on his face. I lifted a golden eyebrow and fought the pink that wanted to cover my cheeks. "It's a shame though," he added, his face growing grave.

"What is?" I ask, raising my eyebrow warily. He was never serious...

"For a guy, you don't have much of a dick... I'm afraid you're the girl in the relationship," he smiled at me again and I felt my face heat up. Not embarrassment. Just anger. HOW DARE HE?!

I closed my eyes and ground my teeth. I clenched my fists closed and felt my brows twitching. It was going to take all I had not to hit the stupid, arrogant man beside me. I mean, really, I was big enough! I wasn't huge, no, but I had thought I was at a fairly average size... Come to think of it, I didn't even look at Sai so I didn't have a comment for this. When in doubt, keep your fucking mouth shut! I'll get him good later... show _him_ who the fucking girl is!

Bastard!

--

"Kakashi, I'm surprised you remember where my old house is," Sai smiled dismally as we neared Sai's family home. I recognized it in a few news articles. It was a lot bigger in person. Not many homes in Korea were this big but it goes to show you how much money can get you. It was about a 5 story tall mansion. It was huge in every sense of the word and I felt my jaw grow slack the closer we went to it.

"It's always been your home, Sai-San. Whether you like coming here or not, I'll always remember it."

"Sadly, same goes for me..." Sai muttered. He waited until Kakashi parked the car with tinted windows before he crawled out slowly. I noticed the change in Sai instantly and it faintly disturbed me. I mean, the Sai I know is sarcastic and perverted and tries too hard... this Sai was quite, dismal and reserved. To be honest I don't think I liked it much. I liked the old Sai.

I followed the body guard into the large foyer of the mansion. Works of art from every country decorated the classy walls. The flooring was black marble as were the supports stretching all the way to the 10 foot roof. Looking up I saw a plain but beautiful chandelier that glistened with light from the candles. Inwardly I wondered how much work it must be to light the candles then clean off the wax and replace the candles...

"Ah, my dear, prodigal son returns to his dishevelled home at last. And with him is a... friend?" a dark man descended the staircase right in front of us. A large, calloused hand kept a grip on the railing, keeping his steady. Dark hair could be seen at the top of a badly bandaged head and face and I took notice of the sling and heavy cast covering the man's right arm. He looked cold. I didn't like him at all and I haven't even known him for 5 minutes! I feel like crap for judging but I just did not feel safe at all looking at this man, even from a distance.

"Father, this is Naruto. Naruto, this is Danzo, my adoptive father," Sai performed introductions politely like the good son should and I felt sorry for him. Sai looked meaningfully at me and I moved forward to stand beside him. His pale arm snaked around my waist and held me tighter than needed. "Father, Naruto is my boyfriend."

"So, you've come to spite me," Danzo's facial expression didn't change as his one visible eye coldly gave me the once over, measuring my worth. I shivered but never broke eye contact with him. This was imperative. This was my part of the deal to hold up. I had to make this Danzo believe Sai was truly gay and, for the time being, 'in love'.

"Not spite, father. I just came to see you and Mother and show you my significant other," Sai looked dead as he answered his equally dead father.

Silence fell in the corridor and I started feeling even more uncomfortable as I felt Danzo's eyes bore into mine. I had to break the tension.

I smiled as brightly as I could and gripped Sai's hand tightly in mine, lacing our fingers together and stepping forward a bit. "Nice to meet you, Danzo-San. I am honoured to be able to visit you and your grand home!" I bowed low to the man and held it for a few moments in order to convey my respect. When I straightened and looked him in the face, trying to give off the look like I was actually happy to be there.

Which I wasn't.

But a deal is a deal and I never go back on my word.

"Hm," Danzo turned away from us and stepped back up to the top of the staircase and disappeared. I exhaled in relief and slouched my shoulders that I had squared out of fear.

"Thank you," Sai muttered, squeezing my hand tightly and looking into my eyes. That look told me so much yet so little. My heart wrenched a little at that sad look. I wanted to comfort him with one of my smiles but he reluctantly let go of my hand and trudged upstairs after his father.

Well... this was going to an interesting 2 weeks...

--

"Sai! Oh my darling boy! I've missed you so!" a woman threw her arms around the stoic boy as he entered the dining room for dinner that night. Sai's adoptive mother was quite beautiful. She had the typical dark hair of all Koreans but her eyes were a natural shade of light green. They shone with love and passion as they gazed at her son.

Her figure was slim and the only way you could really tell that she was older than looked was by the deep bags under her eyes and lines of worry and stress in her face. And the air she carried herself with was superiority. I imagined she could be a frightening woman. I guess that's why Danzo fell in love with this woman?

"Mother, this is Naruto, my boyfriend," Sai murmured as he grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. I mentally panicked but on the outside I remained cool as I put on a friendly smile and bowed.

"Naruto, hm? Unusual name. What's your last name?" the woman asked as I straightened.

"Uzumaki."

"Even more unusual. Your parents must have been quite eccentric," she smiled and bowed slightly.

I didn't have the heart to correct her. In all reality, I was an orphan. I never had parents and I was only told that my last name was my Mothers.

"I'm Amako-San. Don't be afraid to ask me anything, Naruto-Kun. But before dinner I was hoping to steal Sai away from you for a while. If you don't mind of course," she closed her light green eyes and smiled warmly. I would have said it was fine if not for Sai squeezing my hand to the point of pain. I refrained from wincing and shook my head.

"I'm terribly sorry, Amako-San, but I must turn you down. Sai has promised me that he would take me on a tour around the house and neighbourhood. I hope that it's not too much trouble for you?" I lied. But the urgency in the squeeze of my hand made me. I guess lying becomes second nature when you know there is something wrong.

"Ah, I'm a bit disappointed but that sounds fine. Dinner should be ready in about 20 minute's boys. Be here by then!" Amako waved with a light frown on her face and entered through the kitchen doors. I exhaled and found myself slumping against Sai for support. I haven't been here more than a day and I'm already exhausted. It's hard trying to impress people you know...

Sai moved away from me and I stumbled. I was about to berate him but he tugged on our still linked hands and pulled me away from the kitchen. Wordlessly I followed and admired everything as we went. Sai's parents had expensive taste. Almost everything here was marble or slate or granite. It was crazy! I could maybe afford to buy one of their floor tiles...

He led me up the staircase Danzo had disappeared by when we first got here and we turned to the left. Down a long, oak wood floored hallway and at the end we turned right. We entered a large bedroom. I mean _large_ bedroom. It had a king sized bed and room for about 4 more. The red mahogany wood dressers where about the size of my entire bathroom at home. This room also had its own bathroom with white tiled floors and black everything else. The Jacuzzi tub, shower, sink, towel racks, toilet and counter tops were all black. It was very contrasting but beautiful.

Sai pulled me into the bedroom and slammed the door behind us and dead bolting it. I quirked an eyebrow at him but waited patiently as he breathed deeply and leaned back against the door. I gripped his hand, trying to comfort him. I wasn't sure if I was or not... I mean, I've never really done this before, you know? I was just guessing.

"Naruto, thank you," the man breathed, pulling his hand away from mine and wrapping it around my neck. His other arm snaked around my side and gripped my shoulder. It was a tight embrace but I could still feel his shaking. He was terrified. I didn't understand it but I was guessing that if I hadn't been here, he would have gone through that alone and it would have been worse.

"Sai, will you tell me what's going on?" I ask, wrapping my arms around his slim waist. His skin was cold to touch so I pressed my warm palms against him and he shivered. Why was he so cold? I led him to the bed and sat him down on the edge. I stood in front of him so I could see him more clearly. I lifted his chin so he would look me in the eye.

"What's going on?" I ask again.

He averted his gaze but answered me anyways, as if he felt guilty. "I shouldn't have brought you into this Naruto. I'm so sorry. Mother... she has a disease that has no cure and refuses to tell anyone about it..." he started. I was confused. What would that have anything to do with him?

"She... Naruto you saved me from her for now but... if she can't lay her hands on me soon she will become upset..."

"What's that mean?"

"Naruto, she's got a bad case of post-partum depression... even though she never gave birth to me, her mind has twisted and made her believe that she did. And she's gone so extreme as to thinking that no one but her is allowed to touch me..." his black orbs locked on me and he saw my confused face. "She has sex with me, Naruto," he stated bluntly.

I remained silent as I contemplated what he said. I didn't want to blow anything out of proportion and I didn't want to go beat up Amako so I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and stood still. I can't even describe to you the anger I felt at that moment. How could a woman have lost it to that severe measure? To abuse her son like that was unforgivable! I understood why Sai hated coming back. Not only does his Mother have issues but from the looks of Danzo, Sai probably has it worse from him.

"Ok. I'm taking you on the first flight back to Konoha and you can stay with me, ok?" I calmly stated, trying not to unleash my temper. My blood was boiling but now was not the time to go berserk.

"No, Naruto. I appreciate it, but I'm here for 2 weeks. It'll be better with you here," he muttered solemnly, grabbing my waist and pulling me between his legs and closer to him. His arms slung themselves around my waist loosely and he buried his face in my stomach. I rested my right hand in his hair and my left on his shoulder. It was going to take me all to stay here for the entire 2 weeks.

Looking down, all I saw was a child. A hurt child whom never had a chance to grow up properly.

Why do I always go for the projects? I always seem to fall for the people who need the most help...

"I'll stay with you, Sai. I'll stay as long as you need me," I whispered, gently hugging him.

--

Ok, it's been a while since I updated this story. Hope you all can enjoy the angsty-ness.

I know it's probably sick that I have Sai's Mother having sex with him but I assure you, it's a real disease and it will have a huge meaning later on in the story.

I also made this one longer so you had more to read and keep you all busy

Anyways, please comment!! Love you all

TLC


	3. Might Be a Day, Might Have A Certain Way

**Missundaztood**

Chap 3 – There Might Be A Day, You Might Have A Certain Way

I can only avoid giving Sai over to his mother for so long before running out of excuses. So far, I've lasted about 3 days... I can't last much longer. Pretending I'm sick, hurting myself, asking to go out on the town, letting Sai sit in the washroom while I take a shower...a _really long_ shower... I've done everything I could and I was running out of reasons to hog the pale man. I knew I was going to eventually run out of reasons and Sai would be taken or Amako-San would freak on me for taking her son from her... It frightened me. I didn't know what to expect and I still have more than a week to get through...

And its things like this that make me think...Why am I here in the first place? Because by sheer chance I met my idol? I drove him to my work and he kidnapped me? How did all this madness start? He had asked for my help, that's where it started! He asked for my help. Sai, super famous, rich and good looking Sai, asked me, Naruto, junior journalist, barely making rent and giving Yesung money, living off of diner food and just day dreaming of meeting people like Sai, for help...

How could I have said no? He was my idol. I envied him and I had constantly dreamed of meeting him one day. Many different scenarios and none of which were even _close_ to how it happened in real life. By chance he happened to be there when I was dropping off Sakura and she was giving back my Sai CD. Would you have turned him down? If your idol, your inspiration and object of your dreams were to come to you and ask you for _your_ help...would you say no?

What lengths would one go for their icon? Maybe Sai _is_ using me but to be honest, I really don't mind. I don't really mind having him around. I mean, yeah, he's annoying and depressing and perverted but hey, that's just part of the package, you know? If you can't love someone's faults, then you can't love that someone. No one is perfect, right? I think Sai's faults made him more...human. More real. Makes me believe he's not as calm and cold as he appears to the outside world. On the inside he's probably swimming in a sea of turmoil and confusion.

Maybe he has been staying with me because it's away from the life he hates? Maybe he can be more comfortable and natural around me. Maybe I offered some kind of escape for him and I just happened to be a fan of his that would accept him without tying him up in my closet. Whatever the reason, I didn't really feel used. I feel special. I feel that, out of the millions who love him, he chose me. He chose me to be comfortable with. He chose me to come with him to protect him from his parents in Korea. He chose me to be with and make him more content with his life.

I suppose that after all I go through here with him is a privilege. Even through all the hassles and embarrassment, I think it's worth it. He's letting me be a big part of his life and I'm not going to take that as an advantage. I'll do everything I can to help him. I'll show him that it's ok to open up and care about someone. I'll show him that it's ok to smile and to relax. I'll show him how to be happy.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?" I answer, lifting my head from the soft, warm pillow. The bed shifted as Sai crawled up to my side and knelt there. I turn my head and gaze up at him with sleepy blue eyes. He looked a bit nervous but he stared down at me. I raise a slender, golden brow at him.

"What is it, Sai?"

"I just wanted to thank you." He said quietly. I could tell he was trying not to look away from me and that made me confused. Why was he so nervous?

"No problem, really. Are you ok?" I push myself up off my stomach and sat in front of him. It was already quite late and I had crawled in to bed just a short while ago so I was just in my orange boxers. I felt the chilly air cool my skin and goose bumps rise on my arms and legs. Sai just glanced down and quickly brought his gaze back up to my eyes.

I was about to ask him again if he was ok but slowly he leaned forward, moving his body with him till he was sitting between my legs and about two inches from my face. I furrowed my brows but stayed silent, waiting for him to speak. "I just...I thought it would be ok to sleep with you tonight?"

Since we came here, we shared adjoining rooms. We did this out of respect for his parents and in all reality it worked for us. We weren't really dating so it didn't bother me to sleep away from him. I wasn't used to sleeping with anyone anyways.

"Uh..." I ruffle my hair and look down at the large bed I have to myself. It was king sized. Much larger than it needed to be seeing as my bed at home was a double..."Yeah, sure. Just stay on your side of the bed," I clarify, moving back under the covers to warm up my shivering body.

"Thanks," he mumbled, crawling around me to 'his side' of the bed. I heard him undress and creep under the covers and I waited while he made himself comfortable before I relaxed my tired muscles.

"Naruto?" he whispered into the dark. I sigh before answering.

"Yes, Sai?"

"Can I move closer?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow even though he couldn't see it. Maybe he was just cold?

"Sure," I grumble, moving my body to lie on my stomach again. I shoved my arms underneath the pillow under my head and pushed my face in the pillow. Mmmm... So comfy...I felt Sai move closer. He was so close that if I opened my eyes I could see his pale chest and face in detail.

I just wanted sleep. I clear my mind and let my body relax, feeling my consciousness slipping away. What a strange feeling. So peaceful. So quiet and unwinding...

"Naruto?"

I grunted back my irritated reply.

"Can I...cuddle you?"

"That's not exactly _your_ side of the bed, is it?" I retort, thoroughly ticked.

"No, it's not. But, it would help me sleep," he said it in a matter-of-fact and at this point, I just wanted to sleep.

"Whatever. Don't expect me to cuddle you back," I grunt, rolling off my stomach and onto my side so I was facing away from him. Just as long as he didn't try anything funny, I wouldn't mind it I guess. I felt him move behind me and curve his body to fit mine. I was a bit taller so it felt weird but not too uncomfortable. His warm skin pressed against mine and I could feel the muscle in his chest press against my back. His spindly legs tangled with mine and his arm wrapped around my waist and his hand rested by my stomach. It definitely was a new sensation to me but it wasn't unpleasant.

I made myself wiggle into a slightly more relaxing position and felt at peace. Finally I could fall asleep! Sai was already half way there. I could tell by the feel of his slow and steady breath on the back of my neck. For some reason or another, I found myself slowing my heart rate to match his, slowing my breath to sync with his. It was tranquil the way our hearts beat slowly to the same rhythm.

--

The next couple nights passed like this. Miraculously I was able to come up with more excuses to keep Sai away from his crazed mother and every night he would ask to come and sleep with me. I stopped telling him to keep to himself and I stopped moving around a lot. I knew before I even crawled into bed that he would be coming in so I lay on my side and waited for him.

The days were starting to blend together. Every morning I would wake up on my back with Sai on top of me. Every morning I would take a shower and Sai would wait in there with me. Then we went to the kitchens and had his parents' personal chef make us some breakfast. Then we would go for a walk or some lame activity to keep him away from the house. After wasting a couple of hours we would head back home for lunch where we would see Danzo moving about and muttering to himself. We never really talked with him or even ate with him. He would just randomly appear and disappear...

After lunch we would go to the nearby pond and avoid being noticed as much as possible. If we were recognized we spent an hour or so talking to fans, taking pictures and signing autographs. Well, Sai did anyways, while I waited patiently for him to finish. Of course I wouldn't be included. I'm certainly not as popular or famous as him and that was fine with me. That was something he would have to do on his own. The only thing I could help him with was his parents.

After detaching ourselves from rabid fans we would get Kakashi to drive us into town and do some shopping. Window shopping in my case. I certainly don't have the money to afford much. Sai had the money but he didn't really seem interested in buying anything. As I remember, he called them 'trinkets'. He thought that just carting them around every where was pointless. He's never gonna use it and more than likely it would sit on a shelf collecting dust. So what's the point?

I agreed. But I tried to point out that some things were sentimental or could hold a special meaning. I had a few 'trinkets' in my home back in Konoha. Sometimes it was comforting to look at them. Either in passing or to actually pick them up and smile at the memory it carried.

He still thought they were pointless. I guess he's never had anything sentimental to hold onto. Seems sad to me. He must not have had much of a childhood if he has not one single sentimental item or memory he holds onto.

"Wow!" I gasp and stop, looking in a shop window. It was a ring. It was wide like any man's ring would be but it looked paper-thin and beautifully detailed. It was a bright red-orange colour tinted with dark blue and black and it held leaf and wind like patterns all around the band. To me it seemed a bit flashy to be a guys ring but it still caught my eye. What a beautiful work of art! I whistled my appreciation and glanced over at Sai to see what he thought of it.

As usual, his face held a mild distaste and unconcern but I could see that his eyes were examining the item quite thoroughly. "What ya think?" I ask, looking back at the ring. I knew it was something I'd never be able to afford, even if I somehow saved for it but that doesn't mean I can't admire it.

"What's it for?" he asked, raising a slender, black brow.

I looked at him incredulously. That was a dumb question! "To _wear_..." I replied.

He looked at me, slightly confused. "Would this hold sentimental value?" he asked. It was a legitimate question so I straightened and continued walking down the street.

"I suppose it would. I mean, it's a beautiful piece of craftsmanship but if it was a gift from someone close to me or I bought it while I was with someone I liked then yes. It would carry a memory. A good memory, therefore making it a sentimental item," I explain. I rested my arms behind my head and gave him a sideways glance. He was following me quietly but his dark eyes were trained on the ground and he looked in thought.

"Don't hurt yourself," I snort, looking back to the street before us. It was quite crowded today. People jostling and pushing, talking on phones or using that damned 'Bluetooth' thing that made them look like they were talking to themselves.

I sigh and stop at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. Just another typical day... after we're done here we are just going to go right back to the house/mansion and I'll have to come up with some lame ass excuse to keep Amako-San from Sai until dinner... then after dinner we'll get ready for bed...

I step onto the street and lower my arms, reaching one around Sai's thin waist. He looked up at me and I saw a tiny twitch of his lips.

There! I finally made him feel something today! I made it my personal goal to make Sai show some kind of emotion every day. He wasn't allowed to look depressed and uncaring all day every day.

"Excuse me?" I stopped dead in my tracks and looked down into icy blue eyes.

"Yes?" I asked, giving the girl before me a once-over. She wasn't too bad looking. Her eyes were a natural pale, stone-washed blue but her long blonde hair was fake. While it was paler than mine, I could see the dark brown roots growing in. Though I wouldn't complain. Seriously, she wasn't ugly in anyway. Her face was soft and sharp in all the right places with perfectly thin lips covered in a dark pink gloss. Her outfit wasn't covering much but still enough to be considered decently dressed. A purple tank top that hugged her girly figure with dark denim shorts. Her thighs showed and I could tell she was delicate. There was no muscle. Not even a healthy, toned muscle. She was built to be a model.

"I was just curious. Are you Uzumaki Naruto?" I didn't really like the sound of her voice. She had the voice of an airy teenager.

"Yes, I am," I answered, not thinking too much of it. I've been on TV a few times now because of Sai.

"So the one you are clinging to must be Sai-kun?" she asked, tearing her blue eyes away from me to look over at the silent man beside me. I wasn't sure I really liked the arrogant tone she was taking with me but I complied with her questions.

"Yes. This is Sai."

"Are you proud of yourself?" her eyes flew back and locked on mine. I will admit she appeared to be a bit of a lioness. She pounced fearlessly.

"What do you mean?" I ask, tilting my head slightly to the side. I could feel Sai's grip on my waist tighten slightly.

She rolled her eyes, acting as though she was talking to a child who didn't understand the concept of 'bad'. "Are you proud of the fact that you are openly displaying your _affection_ in a most inappropriate manner? Are you proud of the fact that you have tainted a very popular kids and teen's idol? Now kids everywhere will be confused..." she placed her closed fists on her hips.

Now I was _sure_ I didn't like her tone or her voice at all. "I'm sure I don't intend to _taint_ your idol but I didn't _convert _him. Love is love. People, even celebrities, should be able to choose whom they wish to love. And whether or not we display our _affection_ in public doesn't matter. Every other couple here is doing it. You see it in schools, in malls, on TV. It's not that hard to understand," I grind out, feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I was getting a very violent energy from her and I didn't appreciate it.

She snarled and her face immediately brought an image to my mind. An angry pig. A thin, delicate and pampered pig. "It's not right. It's not proper to be...to be _queer_," she sneered in my face. I was nearly an inch from her face and I hissed darkly, making sure every word, every syllable dripped and bled with venom.

"Listen and listen well you arrogant, materialistic _animal._ It shouldn't matter what race, gender, age or _blood type_ you are. Love is love and we just so happen to have found each other. We make each other happy and wouldn't have it any other way. If love is a sin, then I'd rather face the depths of hell than to walk the path of obedience to so-called purity. And no matter what God or religion you belong to, there is always talk of an 'All Forgiving' God. A God who creates us humans and programs us to be as we are and writes our destiny for us. So you can take your pride and shove it up your ass!"

I gripped Sai's waist tightly and pulled him away, not giving time for the pig to retort to me. I know there was error in my statement but I wanted to be the bigger man, so to speak, and walk away. I hate arguing with people about an issue that hasn't been resolved and probably never will be. It would be hours of debate and suffering that I just didn't want to go through. I wanted to get Sai and myself out of there before I lost it completely.

I didn't even learn her name...Damn, I could have probably used this subject for an article when I got back home.

"Thank you," small thanks was uttered and I had to stop and look down at Sai. He didn't have any emotion on his face again but his eyes... his coal black eyes were swimming. With what, I wasn't sure but it made my heart swell for a moment.

"For what?" I asked. He glanced down.

"For what you said back there. That was really nice of you," he avoided looking me in the eyes. I made a face and towed him into the nearest cafe. I ordered a bottle of water and a bottle of Korean Cornsilk Tea. It was Sai's favorite. I made him sit down in a quiet and secluded corner of the café and sat him down directly opposite me. I wanted to be able to see his face properly.

"Sai, I want to ask you something," I started. I didn't care if he didn't want to answer; I was going to ask anyways. "What is it really like for you? Like, on a daily basis. Do you get hate-mail, threats, people trying to convert you? Do you get stopped in the street?" I questioned. I wanted to know. I honestly wanted to know what this man goes through and why.

He unscrewed the cap to his tea and took a sip, letting my questions hang in the air a few moments before answering me. He set the bottle down on the table in between us and that's where he kept his half lidded black eyes. He didn't look up at all and he kept his hands around it, almost as if he let go he knew his hands would start shaking. So I waited patiently. I didn't want to push it but I wasn't going to let this go.

"There are 3 reasons why I don't show emotion when I'm not acting or singing or dancing…" he started, still staring at the bottle before him. I rested my chin in the palm of my hand and my elbow on the table as I quietly waited for him to continue. "One, I was raised that way…because my father is an ass…and my mother, well, you know…" he quickly glanced up at me then flicked his gaze back down to the tea bottle. "Second, in the business I'm in, you learn not to get close to people…no matter how friendly they are, they screw you over so they can benefit themselves…" His eyes glazed over for a moment, remembering a past better left forgotten. "And Third… It's easier to get hurt, betrayed and used…" he finished.

Still he never looked at me. If I didn't know any better I would think he was afraid to see the emotion on my face. Afraid to see resentment. I frowned but I took the bottle from his white knuckled hand and replaced it with my hand. I felt him squeeze it and I grinned gently. I waited for him to look up at me. When he did, I locked my eyes with his and I smiled widely.

"It's ok," I said, "It's ok to want to protect yourself from people you _know_ will hurt you. But you can't hide from everyone for the rest of your life. You gotta fall in love at some point, right? Take a boyfriend, get married or whatever you wanna do, and live the life you deserve. But at some point you have to open up and let someone know who the real you is. You have to smile, Sai. You have a wonderful smile," I grinned gently, closing my eyes.

When I opened them again a moment later Sai was just staring at me. His pale lips were slightly parted and his eyes were slightly wide with shock. I grin wider and stand, pulling my hand away from his grip. I grabbed my water bottle, which had remained unopened, and his Cornsilk Tea that was barely touched. I took a few steps and turned back with a grin. "Comin' lover boy?" I joke with a short laugh.

Finally Sai snaps out of his stupor and rushes to my side. He remained silent all the way home but I knew he was just thinking over what I said and that was fine. It was a comfortable silence and I felt better knowing he was thinking about what I had said and was taking it to heart. I walked with a smile on my face and arms resting behind my head. I felt kinda proud of myself. I was able to give good advice. I guess this was my good deed for the day. Pig-face, who ever she was, was out of mind, I had given good advice to a man who desperately needed it and to top it all off, there was only 4 days left till we were on a plane back to home sweet home.

Today was a good day.

--

"Sai, why don't you come with me and help to bring food into the kitchen?" Amako-San asked, a bright smile on her face. This was another of her tricks. She had been trying these on Sai for the last little while and Sai always said no. But this time he really didn't have a reason to. So I immediately stood and went to her side, smiling.

"Sai, sprained his ankle today. I'll help you, Amako-San."

The dark haired woman looked wistfully at her adopted son before turning to me with a smaller smile, "Thank you, Naruto-Kun. You're a big help."

I glanced back at Sai before I went into the kitchen after Amako-San and he had a look mixed between relief and worry and I felt a sharp pang of nervousness and concern…Isn't there some saying out there that says you should trust your gut instinct? My gut was telling me that I should be walking in the opposite direction right now…

I followed her warily through the small hallway to the kitchens and I made note of every move she made, every detail in her chiseled features. I was not going to ignore my gut on this one… it was almost time for Sai and I to go back home and Amako had not touched Sai…she must be going mad. I wanted to know what she was going to do, before she did it. I suppose it paid off in the end as I was able to jump out of arms reach when she swung back to hit me.

"Amako-San!" I gasp, ducking another one of her swings. She moved fast for a woman who looked delicate.

I backed up and tried desperately to stay out of her grasp. I honestly have no idea what she will do once she has me…"Amako-San, please! What's wrong?" I sidestep another swing but her elbow catches me in the cheek and I stagger a step. That was all she needed, she lunged, throwing herself against me and shoving us both backwards into the wall and onto the floor. The wind is knocked out of my lungs, forcing me to curl up and close my eyes. I was momentarily paralyzed and this was a terrible disadvantage. Amako pushed herself up and climbed on top of me and glared at me with the fiercest gaze I've ever seen.

With tears in my eyes I try to sit up and push her off but she grabbed my arms, brought them closer to my sides where she brought up her knees and knelt on them. Do you have any idea how much that hurts? To have bone weighing down the sensitive muscle on your arms? It _fucking_ hurts!

"A-Amako-San please stop! Why are you doing this?" I breathe. She just sat on top of me, pushing down on my arms, making sure I couldn't move too much. Her eyes never left mine and I was beginning to fear she was going to punch my face and beat me senseless. She raised her fist and I refrained from flinching. I don't know why. If this was anyone else, in any other situation, I would have flinched and struggled as much as I could to get away. I'm not the greatest fighter…

But I didn't flinch. I continued to stare at her, not blinking. I was tense, don't get me wrong. I was tensing and trying to prepare myself for the blow, but I tried not to show fear. Somehow that seemed like a bad thing to do…

"You… you're so opposite of him…why are you so different?" she snarled, keeping her fist raised.

I stayed silent. I didn't know what to say…how do you respond to that without provoking her further? I just kept staring her in the eyes.

She dropped her fist and the look in her eyes softened. She lost eye contact with me and looked at the rest of me. I watched as she roamed over my features. She looked up at my sunshine yellow hair, over the scars on my cheeks, my traditional Asian nose and full, pink lips. Her eyes wandered down my defined jaw and down my neck to my shoulders and chest. I started getting goose bumps. I wasn't too sure I liked her looking at me like that…

"Naruto-Kun, you take my son from me. He avoids me and it's because of you…Ii can't forgive you for that," she speaks softly. I start feeling the pressure release from my arms. Slowly but surely she leans back slightly and I can feel the blood rushing back into my arms and I can tell you honestly that it hurts…

Again I stay silent. I don't want to provoke her. She was obviously unsettled and unstable and I don't want to do anything that will make her snap again…so I lay still. She gradually moves her legs completely off of me and sits on my lower stomach. It gets easier to breath and move but I'm still vulnerable…I still don't know what she wants to do with me…

"You're taking him away…"she whispered, her dark eyes watering as she gazed at my face. "You're taking him away…I can't forgive you."

Suddenly her eyes darkened and I immediately tensed. Out of the blue she whipped up her fist and punched me squarely on my cheek bones. The pain burst from where she connected and spread to the rest of my face and I knew I was going to have a black eye…she hits hard for a woman…

I wince as another blow comes, connecting more with my jaw and I was just so happy that she didn't disconnect it…at least not right now it's not. I could feel tears in my eyes. I've only been punched one other time in my life and I can't ever remember it hurting this much…Her fist connected with my nose and I heard a nasty crunch on my skull. And that was the first sound I made.

I cried out, not bothering to hold back my tears. They poured freely down my bloodied and bruised face and I didn't bother to hide it. But that's when she stopped hitting me. Her fists dropped to my chest where they grabbed my shirt. "You're so like him…he never made a sound until I broke a bone," she whispered into my ear. I got an eerie shiver and I tried my best to breathe through my mouth without getting blood down my throat.

I didn't want to be like Sai…

"You're so like him," she leaned over my face, bringing her fingers up to ghost over my swollen lips. I glared as much as I could with a swollen eye. She ignored it and I could feel her hands travel down to my shirt and start pulling the buttons free of their holes.

"Amako-San! No, this isn't right!" I finally spoke. I pushed my shaking body up and I pushed her off of me. Wobbly I used to the wall to help me stand and gain my balance. But she was already up. She pushed my aching body against the wall I had crashed into earlier and continued unbuttoning my shirt. I pushed her away and tried to make a dash back the way I had come.

"Naruto, no!" she called after me. I ignored her and pushed forward until I reached the door I passed through. Bursting into the light of the dining table I saw Sai having a conversation with Kakashi. They seemed to be worried as they talked and I ran over to them without stopping. I immediately stood in front of Sai and wrapped myself around him, traumatized and needing some kind of protection.

"Naruto?" Sai's deep voice rumbled in his chest and I never thought I would be so happy to hear his voice again.

"Your mother," I pant, still very aware of the broken nose I was sporting.

Sai tensed and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me away from his warm, safe body. He took one look at me, at my swollen lips, blue, black swollen eye and the blood gushing from my crooked nose. I looked away, slightly ashamed. I wasn't too sure what to think about all this… what he would think of this. I could feel his hands tighten on my shoulders and suddenly I was being dragged out of the room.

"Kakashi, go get the car ready. I'll be down in 5 minutes. You're driving us back to the airport," Sai demanded, hauling us both up the large flight of stairs and to our room at the end of the hallway. As soon as the door was closed behind me, Sai took another look at me. I try to grin, effectively hurting my face more than it already did. I wince and look down.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you…I knew this was going to happen," he muttered, bustling about the room and grabbing out suitcases and filling it with all the belongings we brought. He was quick and efficient, not wasting much time. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me back down the stairs where Amako and Danzo were waiting for us. I avoid looking at Amako.

"Where do you think you're going, Sai," Danzo growled deeply. I grew fearful. Did he even know what his wife just did to me?

"I'm leaving here, Danzo, and I'm never coming back to the God-awful shit hole!" Sai growled back, not afraid to challenge his adoptive father. I gripped his hand tighter. I didn't know what else to do…I was really helpless in this situation…

"What gives you the idea you can leave after what _Uzumaki _just tried to do to your Mother?" Danzo spat, wrapping his good arm around his wife's waist. I was in shock.

After what _I _did to _her?_ Was this really happening?

"Danzo, I don't know how long you've been turning a blind eye but you can't seriously take her side. I know you know what she has done to me and now to Naruto. Do what you will but I promise you that you will never see me face-to-face again," Sai snarled, not bothering to even say 'father' anymore. My heart was hurting it was beating so fast. I felt terrible. It all felt like it was my fault. How did this happen? How do I make it better?

"You are not leaving here. Especially not with that _thing_ behind you. He cannot leave until I'm satisfied that he has been punished."

"Fuck you!" Sai yelled. He towed me along behind him, side stepping Danzo and Amako and making his way to the door. It was getting even harder to breathe. My entire body ached and my head was spinning. It was a miracle that I was even awake. I tumbled into the car and immediately took off my shirt. It was already stained with blood so I figured I could use it to stop me from bleeding everywhere else. I scrunched it up and wrapped it gingerly around my sore nose and slumped down into the seat.

I needed a drink.

Sai crawled into the back after me and shut the door with a loud slam. I flinched but stayed quiet. I could feel the hate and rage radiating off of him so I thought I would let him fume until he felt better. I didn't need any more bruises and broken bones, thanks much.

Kakashi finished loading the luggage into the back of the car and quickly sped off, leaving the mansion and Sai's parents behind. I suddenly felt a great wave of relief flood over me as I watched it disappear behind us.

"Naruto, I'm taking you to a hospital before we go back to the airport. We'll get your nose fixed up then head back to your home," Sai said quietly, leaning against the door and gazing out the window. I glanced at him with my one good eye and took note of the fact that he had said 'your home'. That meant that he didn't want to stay with me anymore and did not consider it to be 'his home'. He was going to leave.

"Thank you," I muttered. I didn't want to bother him about it too much as of yet. He was still cooling down and I was exhausted. I just needed to lie down…I slumped down further and turned my body to lean against the door so I was facing Sai and I stretched my legs out, trying to make myself comfortable. Cars really aren't that comfortable. Especially when there is no padding or fabric to protect the skin of my back against the rough plastic of the car.

I gave up trying to make myself comfortable and just sucked it up until we got into the parking lot of the hospital. It was close to the airport which was a bonus. Sai walked me in and demanded for a doctor to see me right away. I was flattered that he was concerned about me. It wasn't that big of a deal… I mean, yeah my nose was broken and my head was throbbing painfully and I wanted to just lie down and cry, but I was ok.

I was sat down in my own little sterilized room with a bunch of medical equipment. I had no idea what all the stuff was for but I ignored it. I _hate_ being in hospitals. I was in them enough as a kid to scar me… I just wanted to get fixed and leave.

The doctor came in. She was cute for a Korean lady. Typical dark hair and dark eyes but she was quite pale. She smiled gently at me and with sympathy in her deep eyes. I grinned back. She looked friendly enough.

"I'm Doc. Gangjun. Your name is Uzumaki, Naruto, I assume?" her voice was light and airy, like she dealt with broken bones all the time. She probably did. I had no doubt so I felt a bit better as she asked me to remove my blood soaked shirt. I did with a wince and she grimaced.

"My dear, how did you come by this nasty break?" she asked, poking and prodding with soft fingers.

Sai, who was standing beside me and watching her with careful eyes, decided to answer her. "My Mother had something to say to him." Doctor Gangjun looked up at Sai with an angry expression.

"Did your Mother really beat on Uzumaki-San? That hardly seems appropriate. You should contact the local authorities and have this dealt with, right away!" she ordered, obviously distressed at the abuse. Sai shook his head and the Doc returned to moving my nose about. She was gentle about moving the sensitive cartilage. She would adjust it in little circles, push it, and pull it. I winced and whimpered occasionally but other than that, it didn't hurt much as she examined me. I could hear the grating and crunching and cracking as it moved and honestly I think the sound of it bothered me more than her moving it.

Before I knew it, her frowning face smiled and she stood back. "Good as new!" she smiled.

Sai stood in front of me and examined my repositioned nose and nodded with a smile. "Looks like it was never broken!"

"Lucky for you, Uzumaki-San, it was a clean break. If it wasn't, it would hurt a lot more and I would have a lot more work to do. You still have to wear a nose brace until it heals properly. Try not to sleep with your face in the pillow and don't do anything to move it. It should take about 2-4 weeks," she explained to my fuzzy brain as she gently pushed the nose thing around my sore appendage. She also took the time to clean up the blood from my face and chest.

Then she took one good look at my swollen eye and made a contemplating face.

"I could fix that too. A quick fix, really and not medically official, but it will make the swelling go down dramatically and you can see properly…"

I nodded.

"It's bloodletting…"

I knew what it was. I wasn't afraid. Boxers and wrestlers did it in the middle of matches so they didn't forfeit. Better than using any anti-inflammatory cream. I nodded again. I knew I was probably going to end up with a scar but I didn't care. I have enough scars; it'll blend right in with the rest of me.

Doctor Gangjun nodded and left the room quickly, leaving me and Sai alone. I looked at Sai and smiled gently. "Thanks for bringing me here," I said. Sai didn't reply, only sat beside me on the hospital stretcher and leaned against my shoulder. I knew what he was trying to convey in this gesture and I smiled. He didn't have to say anything to me. I just understood him for some reason. I understood his mannerisms and behaviors and could interpret them enough to understand the basic message.

If it were anyone else, they would have left him long ago…

Maybe that's why he has no friends? No one takes the time to get to know him?

"Uzumaki-San?" Doctor Gangjun came back with a scalpel in its sanitary wrapping along with a medical bag probably stuffed with supplies to treat the cut. Sai removed himself from my side and sat in the chair across from me. The Doctor put her bag of supplies where he just was and started dabbing my eye with rubbing alcohol to sanitize and clean my skin. Next she put on her latex gloves and started pulling out supplies. My heart started racing uncomfortably… I was going to _let_ someone cut me…_willingly_… maybe it was ok for medical reasons? Did that justify it? I'm not too sure.

Next thing I knew she was taking a breath and looking in my face with set determination. I wasn't too sure what was on my face at the moment but I could tell she was the surer of us two. "You ready, Uzumaki-San? It will only hurt for a moment and I'll clean up all the blood I can and put in a few stitches so it,"

"No stitches," I interrupted. I didn't like stitches. I had them before and I vowed I'd never get them again…I'll just let the wound heal on its own. I knew there were risks like getting it infected but my body never failed me before. I'll be fine.

"Are you sure?" She asked me. I nodded and she shrugged. She placed her left hand on my brow, where the bruise wasn't so swollen and she told me to close my eyes and to take a breath. I did as told and braced for the pain. It came and went quickly. I could feel the knife cut cleanly through the skin from my brow, around the side of my eye and ending just on the top of my cheek bone. I grit my teeth and refrained from making a sound and I didn't open my eyes. I could feel the blood rushing out of the open wound and I felt dizzy. I really, really, _really_ hated hospitals…

I could feel the swelling disappear but the pain was probably 3 times worse than before. She pushed all the blood out of the wound, cleaned it up, rubbed disinfectant in it, and lined the open wound with a polysporin. Finally she patched it together with butterfly bandages. Those weird, bone-shaped bandages that were meant for cuts like mine. She worked quickly and efficiently and I was grateful. Finally she gave me a clean bill of health and told me to come back in a month or so to check on my nose. I smiled gratefully and stood to leave the room when I fell sideways, completely losing balance. Sai was there and held me steady and Doc. Gangjun laughed lightly.

"You just lost a lot of blood, Uzumaki-San. You're body has yet to adjust and re-produce more blood cells. Sit still for a moment and I'll be back with a usable shirt for you to leave in!" she giggled as she left the little white room. I looked down and realized she was right. I had totally forgotten that I had used my shirt to stop my nose from bleeding. I put my ruined shirt in the waste bin and slowly made my way to the tiny mirror and sink in the room. Sai stood behind me worriedly as I gazed at my battered face.

"Fan-bloody-tastic," I muttered. I didn't think the damage was too horrible…until I looked at myself. The cut was red and slightly swollen but not as bad as it used to be. My usually bright blue eyes were a bit red and puffy from the force of the damage, my lips were still swollen and I looked absolutely ridiculous with the nose brace thingy on. I sighed and stood up, away from the mirror.

Ugh…just imagine how Sakura and everyone is going to take this…

"Here you go, dear. It's not much but it will last until you get a new shirt," Doctor Gangjun smiled as she handed me the dark blue scrub I recognized. This was part of the uniform that the Janitors wore. I took it gratefully and thanked her as I pulled it over my head, careful to avoid my throbbing nose. It wasn't the only thing that was throbbing. My head hurt like a bitch… I needed some Advil or something…

The shirt fit me ok. It was a bit tight for my liking but it came past the top of my pants and the sleeves were almost pointless on this piece of clothing but I thanked the Doctor anyways. She was terrific.

"Stay safe!" she called after us as Sai and I walked down the hallway towards the exit. I smiled and waved back to her and Sai just kept walking. We made it out to the parking lot where Kakashi sat on the trunk of the car, waiting. As we approached, I suddenly felt more tired than I should be. Maybe the day's events were catching up to me? But as soon as I sat in the back seat of the car with Sai, I laid down, my head close to his lap, and I promptly fell asleep. Man did I need that!

--

**Chapter 3. Too much drama for me but I liked the great winding down I had at the end. I hope you all enjoy it. I don't really but maybe if I get positive reviews, I'll like it better. **

Thank you to **Maedhros** – I greatly appreciate your review. I really like how you could read into the characters and appreciate them and all their complexity. I will keep your suggestion in mind as I write future chapters. Thanks again and I hope I don't disappoint you with what's to come!

Thanks to** piratepenguin666** – I'm glad I was able to catch your interest and I hope that my future chapters will be able to satisfy your curiosity! Please keep reading and thanks again!

Thanks to **Genesisgoboom** – I'm happy I was able to spark your interest. I'm also flattered that you don't classify this as a cliché or dumb idea. I really hope you do continue to read and enjoy future chapters. I look forward to your reviews! Thanks again!

And thanks to everyone else who commented and favorite and whatever my story lol. I hope to see more reviews in the future! Thanks again everyone and look forward to more drama in the future!

TLC


	4. But You Don't Have My Luxuries

**Missundaztood**

Chap 4 – But You Don't Have My Luxuries

I sat in my office chair at work and tapped my fingers impatiently on my desk. I wanted to go home and the clock was testing my patience to the extremes. It was only 3:48 but I wanted it to be 5. That damned clock is so stupid! It's doing this to me on purpose! It _knew_ I was staring at it. It _knew_ I wanted to go home and drown my sorrows in diner food and old classic movies. I know it knows! I know it!

Ok, I think I'm losing it. Focus! Back to work. I turned my hateful blue gaze onto my unsuspecting computer. In a rage I started pounding the keyboard. I had to finish this story today or I was going to be in trouble. My superiors were so stuck up on their pedestals that they had berated me for not making my vacation into a story to use for the radio. Piss on them! I wasn't using my personal life for radio talk!

Mind you, it would be very interesting. I would probably get a raise for it too. Especially if I blabbed about Amako-San and her fist remodelling my face. But I wasn't about to give unneeded attention to those details. I wouldn't do that to Sai. He had too much on his plate anyways.

He left yesterday. Depressing as it was. Kakashi had made it clear that Sai had a small tour around the country to do. Sai didn't argue for once. He didn't even say anything as he packed up his stuff from my spare bedroom.

I think after the whole incident with his parents, he'd been in deep thought. We spent our last weekend together unwinding in my apartment. I thought he was going to be the same as he was at his parents' house. I thought he was going to be in the washroom when I showered or cuddle with me at night. But he didn't.

The bugger kept to himself. He stayed in his room, quiet and obedient. He barely spoke to me, didn't bother me as I fought to catch up on work in my office. He looked quiet and sullen. Depressed. Even when I spent time with him, I couldn't once get him to smile or break from his shell. I despaired. I didn't know what to do and from the looks of Kakashi, he blamed me.

What did I do?

I snarled at my computer screen and realized I had stopped writing in mid-sentence. The thought was gone and I had no idea what I had been trying to write so I deleted the sentence and tried to start again. For the life of me, I just couldn't focus.

My mind wandered back to this morning when I first showed up for work. I hadn't slept well at all since Sai left without so much as a good-bye. So I showed up, ruffled from restlessness, puffy and bleary eyed from lack of sleep, my still slightly swollen lips, cut up face and broken nose.

I was swarmed.

Sakura was so concerned about me that her mind instantly thought Sai was the one who had abused me. Suigetsu made the mistake of making a rude comment that ended with me being the bitch of the relationship. He got a black eye to match mine. Shikamaru was smarter but he certainly had his ideas. He was nicer about it though and I wished him a happy belated birthday. His birthday was September 22 and I was in Korea.

I didn't exactly want to tell them about my weeks in Korea. I didn't want them to freak out or, in Suigetsu's case, tease me about getting beat up by a woman. Fuck, man, she was vicious! You can't fight against your supposed boyfriends' mom! Insane mom…

Ugh… I can't work, I keep getting distracted.

"Sakura, I'm heading home early. I need to lie down," I stand and shut down my computer, not bothering to save my work. It was crap anyways.

"Sure. Do you want me to come with you?" she asked. I could tell she was still concerned. I dunno. Would I like the company? More importantly, did she still need a ride home?

"Sasuke back in town yet?" I ask, leaning against her desk as I pull my leather jacket on.

She shook her head, sending her pink curls flying around her face. "No, but he's supposed to come back tomorrow. That's what he said anyways." I could tell that her smile was fake. That bastard was hurting her and I'd bet $20 he was cheating on her. Poor girl. And it's only Monday… fabulous.

"Yeah, why not. Come home with me. You can sleep over and everything," I smile. Maybe having her around would help keep Sai from my mind.

"Ok," her smile seemed a bit more real this time and she saved her work, shut down her computer and grabbed her purse.

We made our way to my truck after punching out. I took my time getting to the diner and waited inside as they got my order ready. I came early so they didn't have it ready but I was content to wait the 5-10 minutes. Afterwards, I went to Sakura's place and waited as she grabbed a small overnight bag. She didn't need a lot as she wasn't a very materialistic or fake girl. She rarely wore any make-up and didn't dress like the many skanks in the world. She was professional. I liked that about her.

Finally, we got back to my empty house. Quietly we both got our plates of food ready, much like Sai and I had only a few short weeks ago, and sat in my living room. I turn on the TV and turn on the comedy channel. I know it's something we both enjoy and I was positive I wasn't the only one who needed a laugh.

Time flies and finds us both almost passing out on the couch. I yawn and ruffle my mop of hair and stand up, taking our plates to the kitchen. Sakura comes up behind me, tiredly shuffling her feet and she leans against my back. I smile gently. I've always liked Sakura. For all the years I've known her, I've come to love her in every way I could. I cared for her probably more deeply than most would. She did sometimes (ahem, coughallthetimecough) put up a hard front and that scared people off. Not me. I endured and I supported her through her rocky relationships. I supposed that's why we were best friends.

I took her hand and led her to the spare bedroom where she had put her overnight bag. Though as I turned to leave and go to my room, she didn't let go of my hand. Confused, I looked back at her and saw tears in her eyes. I mentally sighed. I knew this was coming. I led her to my room and sat her on my small bed.

"What's wrong Sakura?" I ask, sitting next to her and keeping a grip on her hand. She sniffled.

"You've known Sasuke for a while," she stated. I knew it wasn't a question so I stayed silent. But yeah, I've known Sasuke. He's a dick. A complete moron who just doesn't appreciate what he's got. I used to think he was my best friend but I've long since given up on that. No matter what I've said or tried or done, he's pushed me aside for something better.

"You know what he's like and what he does for a living," she said quietly. He owned a business. Well, more like inherited a business. From his god damn stupid rich daddy. Spoiled brat. He owned one of the designer companies. You know, the one that models clothing lines and shit like that. He's always got a girl on each arm.

"You're my best friend, Naruto. I want you to tell me the truth, ok?" I always hated this part. I hate lying but I don't like telling the truth either. She always somehow makes it out to be her fault and she beats herself up.

"Ok."

"Do you think he's cheating on me?"

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck-aty, fucking fuck. How was I supposed to deal with this?

"I want the truth Naruto and no trying to sugar coat it," she demanded, her hard emerald gaze fixed on mine. I sighed and ruffled my hair.

"Yes," I answer.

Her eyes dull, lose their life. "Oh." Her hand became loose in mine and her gaze flitted to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." What else was I supposed to say? I'm not good at these things.

"How long have you known?"

"Almost as soon as he started that damn business of his." It wasn't a lie. Almost immediately after, he realized what the fame and profit was. That was when he started skipping town for weeks at a time and not bothering to keep up his relationship with Sakura. It crumbled apart and there was Sakura, blaming herself and desperately clinging to the illusion of what was.

"Can you… do me a favour?"

"Of course. What is it?" I moved a bit closer to her and hugged her shoulders. I'd do anything to make things easier for her.

"Can you cuddle me tonight? I mean, if you don't want to because of Sai that's fine but… I dunno, I'd just like it," her cheeks were a bit flushed from her request but I didn't have a problem with it. She's my best friend.

I was just trying my hardest not to think of the similar situation I had with Sai.

"Sure Sakura. Anything for you," I smile gently, ruffle her hair and stand from the bed. I undressed quickly and crawled into bed in my green boxers and waited for Sakura. She was smiling gently with pink still tainting her cheeks as she undressed. She turned her back to me and undid her bra and pulled out a long t-shirt to pull on from my shirt drawer. It was baggy and loose fitting on her but I couldn't help but stare at her milky skin before she pulled it on.

She had no scars, no blemishes, nothing to mar her perfect skin. And she looked smooth to the touch. Supple, velvety, tender.

I blinked away quickly as she turned and crawled into bed with me. I was on my side with my arm underneath my head. She pushed her bum into my hips and curled her tiny frame within mine. It was a bit awkward to say the least. She was so small, so delicate. Much smaller than Sai was. I slid my arm underneath the blanket and snaked it across her hips. Tiredly, she tried her best to push her entire body flush against my warm skin.

I leaned my head forward to find a more comfortable spot and breathed deeply, wincing a bit as that caused my broken nose to move, catching the scent of her green apple shampoo. It was slightly comforting. It didn't exactly smell like Sai but having the feeling of someone beside me made me feel a bit better.

"Thank you."

.mMm.

"Good morning," I smiled, sitting next Sakura on my bed. She slowly opened her sleepy bottle green eyes and looked up at me.

"No…" she moaned, turning her head away from my half naked body. I had already started getting dressed for the day so I had clean boxers and pants on. Just no shirt as I thought I should probably wake up Sakura before we were late.

"C'mon, sleepy. Get ready for work. It's only Tuesday!" I got up and headed for the door when a pillow missile whacked my back. With a wide grin I turn around and spot Sakura already curled on the bed, afraid of the blow I'd deal to her.

I laugh shortly and pounce onto the bed grabbing at her sides, immediately making her shriek and laugh loudly. With little effort, I grab her slight frame and throw her over my shoulder, carrying her laughing from the room.

"Na-Naruto!" she giggled and hit my back, "put me down you oaf!"

"Ok!"

I toss her into the shower and threaten to turn on the cold water. She laughed and pushed me away, demanding that I fetch her overnight bag for her. With a grin, I comply, leaving to get the bag that was still sitting in the spare bedroom. I quickly return to the washroom and open the door.

"Here you go princess… fuck!" I quickly close my eyes and turn around. "I'm so sorry!" I almost yell, feeling heat come into my face. I can't believe I just walked in without knocking! Bad Naruto, bad!

However, Sakura just laughed. "It's ok, Naruto. Just leave my bag on the counter."

She didn't care that I just walked in and saw her naked? "Ok," I set her bag on the counter as she asked and immediately left the bathroom, still burning from embarrassment.

I was heading for my bedroom when I heard the bright airy tone. It sounded like Sakura's ring tone. I ran to my bedroom and picked up her phone, looking at the name. I scowled and didn't answer. Sakura was having a good morning, she didn't need this assholes attitude to ruin that.

I could hear her humming a happy tune in the shower and I tossed her cell onto my nightstand while I made the bed. It wasn't long before she finished her shower. Making my way to the kitchen, I made sure to make a breakfast for Sakura a well. Something simple. I toasted and buttered 2 bagels and was just biting into mine when she stepped out from the bathroom and smiled.

"Don't worry," she giggled, "I'm decent."

A blush fought its way to my cheeks again and I grin impishly. I hadn't even thought about that! I walked in on her naked. Not that that was a bad thing. Well, yeah, it was but I don't mean it in a sense where I didn't enjoy the view…or… you know what? Shutting up now…

"I made you breakfast," I smile nervously and hand her the bagel I made. She thanks me for it and bites into it as she heads back to my room. I can hear her flipping open her phone. Damn. I had hoped she wouldn't.

"Naruto! Sasuke called!" she chirped to me excitedly. Did she forget about last night? I told her he was cheating on her…

"Oh… wait… Naruto, what do I say? What do I do?" ah… so she _does_ remember.

"Don't answer him until you can figure that out for yourself," I answered. I wasn't too sure what else to tell her. But it was her decision to make, not mine. She had to figure it out for herself and I could only offer my thoughts afterward.

"He left a voicemail…" she dialled her voicemail and waited for his message to come up. When it did, she put it up on speaker so I could hear it too. I didn't want to.

"_First unheard message: "Hey, where the fuck are you? I told you I was fucking coming home today! I would think you would be home to see me but I guess you just don't love me that much, huh? Can't wait for me? I bet you're at _his_ house, aren't you? I'm not good enough for you so you go to your gay best friend? Phone me back, Sakura. You fucking better phone me because this is ridiculous!" _

Sakura was in tears, her hands shaking. "I'm so sorry, Naruto. That was very mean of him to say."

That's it? After all the bashing she just took from him, she was saying sorry to me about him calling me gay?

"Sakura, don't be like that. It's ok. I can drive you over after work and help you grab your things."

"Where am I going to stay? Naruto, I appreciate that but that's my home. Sasuke may seem like a jerk but he really can be sweet and caring. He just doesn't like showing it," by this point she was almost sobbing. Her entire body shaking and shivering. I took her phone from her and wrapped my arms around her waist in a tight hug. She threw her arms around my neck and sobbed into my shoulder. Good thing I wasn't wearing a shirt yet.

"Stay with me. I've got the spare bedroom and more than enough room here for you," I say gently into her damp pink hair. She sniffed loudly and I felt her shake her head.

"I couldn't do that to you or him. I don't want to be a burden."

"Sakura, I really don't mind. You'd be safe here. Happier. I promise I'll do,"

My doorbell rang loudly and Sakura pulled from my arms to look at me confusedly, tears still pouring from her jade eyes. I shrug, just as confused as she was, and walk to my door. I unlocked it and opened it. I barely opened it and saw who was there before a fist met my face again. I was knocked to the floor where I let out a cry.

My face was still tender from, Amako-San beating me and breaking my nose and now here was this arrogant fucking Uchiha, punching me and pushing into my home. Sakura shrieked and ran to my side immediately.

"Sasuke? Why did you do that?" she yelled, helping me sit up. Luckily, the bastard didn't hit my nose but the force of the impact made it shift and that was a pain in itself. Tears lit my blue eyes. _Fuck!_

"You're sleeping with another man? And a fucking faggot? That's low. Especially for _you_, Uzumaki. You used to be a good man. Now look at you!" Sasuke looked crazed. His black eyes were alight with hatred, his face was a dark scowl. He was a one-man freak show. I couldn't deal with this fucking drama.

"I could say the same to you, penny-whore!" I yelled, leaping to my feet. I stood taller than he did. Not by much but enough to give me the advantage to stare him down. My nose brace felt like it was falling off but I didn't care. Sasuke glared and ground his teeth, trying his best to pull up his full height against me.

"Who're you calling a penny-whore, faggot?"

"You! You keep yourself so busy out of town that you don't have time to appreciate a woman who truly loves you! You used to be cool, Sasuke. Now you're just some fucking puppet who just uses people!"

"Keep talking, gay lord!"

"Get out of my house!"

"Make me!"

I couldn't help myself. My blood was boiling, a dull roar started pounding my ears, I could barely breathe I was so frustrated. With a loud yell, I punched Sasuke's face, barely wincing when I could feel my knuckles almost breaking against his bone. He fell back and landed on his back on my sidewalk.

I bloodied his face by splitting his pretty lips. I could already see a purple bruise starting to appear on his cheek and his lips start to swell. His fierce eyes were filled with fear and horror. It looked like he just couldn't believe that I hit him. Under different circumstances, I probably never would have. I'm not a violent person by nature. Never have been. But he just ticked me off and pushed me over the edge. He deserved what he got.

"Get out of here, Uchiha. Get out and don't come back. I'll come by to pick up Sakura's things but I swear to God that if you try anything further to hurt or disrespect her, you're dead!" I growl darkly. Sasuke scrambled to his feet with a snarl and a nasty glare thrown in Sakura's direction before he dashed for his car. His tires screeched and left skid marks on my driveway as he sped out of my neighbourhood.

I breathed a sigh of relief and held my hurting right hand against my stomach. "Thank you, Naruto. That was a bit over the top but… thank you," Sakura whispered behind me. She pressed herself against my back in a tight hug. I smiled.

My hurt hand was worth it. Sasuke just wasn't the Sasuke we used to know. He wasn't the Sasuke we loved. That man was long gone, buried deep inside materialism and pride. It would be a miracle if we ever saw him again but I knew Sakura could do better. So much better.

"Time for work? Or do you want the day off to grab your stuff?" I ask gently, turning in her arms and hugging her back. "I can call in for you but I still gotta go to work. Someone's gotta pay for this place," I grinned widely, pulling away from her.

She smiled weakly at me and wiped away a few tears before squaring her shoulders. "We can pick up my stuff and then head to work. I'm not gonna let this get to me. I'm gonna be living with my bestest friend! Things are great," she took in a deep breath and I could see hardness in her eyes. I knew she was going to be ok.

We finished getting ready and jumped into Ol' Red and cruised in a comfortable silence to her place. Or, I guess it would be just Sasuke's place now. I followed her closely, knowing Sasuke was inside; his huge expensive SUV was parked outside. However, he didn't say much. He only glared as I carted a plastic bin piled high with her trinkets and jewellery. I helped Sakura pile her clothes into plastic garbage bags and tossed them into the box of my truck and I went back in to get the last bits when Sasuke was standing in the bedroom doorway.

"Do you really want to do this, Sakura? You wanna live with a fag? He can barely provide for himself and your just gonna go dump yourself on his shoulders? Make him take care of you too?"

"Listen, jerk off," I growled, gripping his shoulder and pulling him away from the room, "I'm not a _fag_ for one thing. The accepted term is _gay. _And another thing? Go fuck yourself. Not everybody can be rich and spoiled and have everything handed to them on a silver platter like you. Others actually have t work their way up. I'm doing perfectly fine on my own! I've got a 3 bedroom house that I've bought and paid for with my hard earned money. What have you got?" I spat.

"Naruto, it's ok. Let's just get out of here," her voice was small. She tried to press her way between me and Sasuke and it was then that I realized I had his shirt collar twisted in my hand. I let him go and shoved him against the wall.

"She's always fucking forgiving your ass. Always saving you the trouble. She was just a fucking convenience to you. Sakura's been my best friend for a while Sasuke and she will always be accepted in my home as such. You, however, have no such privilege. I never want to see you near Sakura, me, our work or our house again, you got that?" with that, I turned and pulled Sakura towards my full truck and drove away. I didn't bother to look back in my rear-view mirror. I knew all I would see was that god damned cocky Uchiha scowl.

Bastard.

What the fuck is his problem anyways? Is everyone out to make my life harder?

"Naruto, you don't need to keep defending me like that. It's ok, really," Sakura smiled and laid a gentle, cool hand on my forearm. I glanced at her with my blue eyes, darkened by anger, and smiled wearily.

"That's what friends are for, right? I'm here for you, Sakura. I'm not going anywhere."

We unloaded her stuff quickly and set it all in the spare bedroom. With a quick call to the boss man, telling her that we were late but on our way, we headed out. Working on a day as shitty as today wasn't ideal but I wasn't lying when I said someone had to pay for my place. Bills aren't cheap, man!

The next few days went by without too much struggle. Sakura took her time setting out her things. Which, when you think about it, wasn't much. All her clothing fit into the dresser and all her knick-knacks and jewellery fight on top of it. She just took up that small space. It didn't bother me much. I just couldn't think about it much or I started thinking about that snotty Uchiha.

Work wasn't exciting to me anymore. I had invited Yesung over a few times and we just watched movies. The only strange things were that Sakura had this habit of crawling into bed with me at night after I've fallen asleep. She didn't do anything and it didn't bother me but when I woke up to find her on top of me made me remember Sai.

I always tried waking up with a smile on my face. I always played around with Sakura too. I knew it made her happy. She was really missing out so I was determined to let her catch up on all the fun things in life. I tickled her, made her breakfast and coffee for work, I sometimes made baths up for her, candles and all. Unfortunately I never made dinner but she didn't mind the diner food I brought home so that was a bonus.

Days turned into weeks and my birthday rolls by. My 25th birthday to be exact. It's now been exactly 10 days since Sai left. And I haven't heard one word from him since. What an ass! After everything I've done for him he can't even call me to tell me Happy Birthday?

Nothing exciting happens. Nothing ever does. I mean, all my birthdays haven't been very special since I was a kid. When I turned 5 is when my birthdays stopped being happy, exciting events. The magic just seemed to slip away. Now it was just another day, another year. I'd be surprised if anyone remembered.

Sakura did.

"Morning Birthday Boy!" she smiled brightly at me. She had made me breakfast for a change today and I liked it. It was just eggs, toast and bacon but it was delicious. We got ready for work in the same usual routine and got to work. To my surprise, my little cubicle was decorated.

"What the?"

"Happy Birthday!" a loud chorus erupted behind me. I jumped and spun around, my hand clutching at my chest over my heart. Shikamaru, Suigetsu, Tsunade, Sakura, Chouji and a few other familiar faces all stood with huge grins. They all looked so fricken' proud of themselves for scaring me. I grinned.

"Thanks guys," I smiled. Tsunade, the old coot, actually had a cake for me and everything! Tsunade and Sakura exchanged knowing glances and held out ice cream cake. It was my favourite. I instantly knew Sakura planned all this for me. What a girl! The cake had 25 candles on it and my name was inscribed in translucent green and orange jelly. I blew out the candles and had the honour of cutting the cake. Quickly, I passed around the pieces of melting cake and hugged Sakura and Tsunade.

"You guys rock!"

However, the magic wouldn't last. Tsunade was quick to order her worker drones to go back to work and everyone obeyed, including me. I sat at my desk with a quiet grin on my face, eating and typing away on my keyboard. I was almost finished a good filler story when I got a tap on my shoulder.

I spun around with my fork sticking out of my mouth and my smile fell.

"Sai?"

"Happy Birthday, Naruto," he said. And for the second time in my life I witnessed a miracle.

Sai smiled.

mMm

Sorry it took so long guys. Here's the new chapter and I hope you enjoy it. It's drama after drama! God damn Sasuke. I really hate that guy!

Yeah, I'm well aware that there's a romance going on between Sakura and Naruto. And before you ask, but I thought this was a SAI NARU! WHAT'S GOING ON!

It's a part of the plot. The plot faeries told me to! So hold onto your knickers! It will all fall into place soon I promise. Just enjoy it.

REVIEW PLEASE and thanks for reading!

**Genesisgoboom** – thank you again for your review. I loved the constructive critism. You're right though. The part with Ino was a bit forced but I wanted to fit her in because she's coming back later. I'm positive there was a better way to do it but it came about like this so I guess that's how it's staying lol. Your review didn't bore me at all. I like reading what people have to say and I hope I don't disappoint you with this chapter. Enjoy!

**Maedhros** – Thank you for reviewing. I'm glad you like the way I write my chapters. I try to make them sound as realistic as possible. I hope I don't disappoint with future chapters.

**Piratepenguin666** – Thanks for reviewing! I agree that some people do need help but sadly things like this do happen every day in some families. This is almost a bit of a reality check for my readers I guess. I'm glad you liked the ending. No the doctor didn't know them but she's not dumb lol. She can guess when there is something going on. It's not her job to investigate so she can't do anything but encourage them to do something about it themselves. Thanks again for reviewing and I hope you like the future chapters!

**THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE READ AND I WOULD LOVE IT IF I GOT MORE FEEDBACK FOR MY READERS! REVIEW PLEASE!**


	5. And It's Me, I Know, I Know My Name

**Missundaztood**

Chap 5 – And It's Me, I Know, I Know My Name

"What're you... I thought you were on tour?" I honestly couldn't find much to say. A secret part of me was rejoicing and dancing around with glee. But another part of me, a much stronger part mind you, wanted nothing more to bash his face in for leaving the way he did after all we had been through together. I was in such a conflict with my emotions that I just stood there with my mouth clamped around my fork.

Sai kept smiling his real smile. "I can't come wish my boyfriend a Happy Birthday?"

"Well, no not really. I mean, you just left without... that wasn't very fair you know..." I couldn't connect any of my thoughts in a coherent form so I blubbered out anything that came to mind. It was working for the time being but this was just...

Sai looked away, shame in his face but his inky depths looked back up with a determined fire as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, wrapped box. When he handed it to me, I noticed his hand trembling ever so slightly. Confused, I take the box and look up at him. He just shrugged and I could see the faintest red tinge on his pale cheeks. Suddenly I was intrigued.

I opened the box slowly, taking care to untie the bow and unwrapped the cute heart wrapping around it. I noticed right away that it was a jewellery box and my heart skipped a beat. What could he possibly have bought me? Men don't wear jewellery. Only manly jewellery like a chain necklace or a watch or something... and with Sai being kinda ... _slow_ in the social areas like this, I was kind of panicking.

I swallowed the growing lump in my throat and opened the box slowly. I couldn't breathe for a few heartbeats as my azure eyes locked on the familiar piece of jewellery from, what felt like, so long ago. It was the men's ring that I had spotted in the shop window in Korea. The wide band was typical of any man's ring but it was paper thin and beautifully detailed with the bright orange-red tinged with dark blue and black flecks. And circling the entirety of the band was wind patterns and a lone leaf sitting on the top.

For some God damned stupid reason I could feel my eyes widen and tear up slightly. I couldn't believe it! How could he have remembered this ring? And what shop it was in? He must have spent a fortune on this! I looked up at him again and noticed the light tinge on his cheeks had grown darker and he avoided my gaze but stood stock still. It was like he was afraid. Of what?

I looked down at the ring again and swallowed. What was I supposed to say?

"Do you... like it?" his voice was so unsure. So timid. My eyes flitted back to his face and I could tell that my facial expression looked lost and confused.

"You didn't... have to get me anything, Sai... I mean... You went all the way back to Korea to get this? For me?" my chest felt impossibly heavy, like my lungs were being compressed. It was so hard to breath but I just still didn't know how to take this. It was too much, I knew, but how could I refuse the gesture?

"Consider it my apology. For everything that has happened to you because of me and for my leaving the way I did. It was selfish of me to leave the way I did... I guess what I'm trying to ask is... Will you forgive me?" his shoulders were tense and he looked like he was shaking but his black, inky eyes were locked on mine, fearless, or trying to be.

Jesus Christ!

I never thought I'd see the day! In fact, if things hadn't turned out the way they did, it never would have happened! EVER! These fantasies would have stayed in my dreams and that would be the extent of it. But here, right before me, was my idol, role model, and pretend boyfriend. On top of that, he was giving me a ring I liked and apologizing... asking my forgiveness... Did I even have a choice in this? The answer was so painfully obvious that I leapt from my office chair and wrapped my arms excitedly around his neck in a tight hug.

"Are you kidding me?" I breathed into his neck, "Of course I forgive you, you dummy! Just don't leave like that again, ok?" I could feel his arms hesitantly find their way around my back and waist and I smiled into his shoulder.

"Thank you, Naruto," he mumbled into my shoulder, holding my tightly against him.

"Awwwww! Sai and Naruto, sitting in a tree! F-U-C-K-I-N"

"SHUT IT SUIGETSU!" I screamed, tearing myself from Sai and grabbing the stapler from my desk and chasing off after that arrogant prick. I found I got great pleasure from his terrified screams and tortured pleas...

...

After my massacre... ahem... calm talk with Suigetsu, Tsunade and Sakura had agreed to send me home early for the day so that I could catch up and reunite with Sai. I guess that was a good thing but it still kinda made me feel nervous to be around him. I didn't know what to expect from him anymore. Despite my fears, I drove home in my beat up truck with Sai with a smile on my face and a ring on my finger. Of course, I didn't put it on my wedding finger or anything stupid like that. It was on the middle finger of my right hand where it fit perfectly.

When Sai and I got inside my house, I felt a little more at ease. I guess I still had a fear of him leaving... hard to explain really but I felt more assured when it was just him and me alone at home. It was more comfortable. I tossed my jacket and keys on the corner of my bed and sat down with a heavy sigh.

Sai sat next to me and linked his fingers together in front of himself. It was strange but all of a sudden the silence between us became uncomfortable. I thought things were resolved between us? Why would he be so tense?

"Sai?" I ask gently, giving him a sideways glance.

"Naruto, I'm sorry... I know I've really given you no reason to trust me, but I have a favour to ask you," he blurted out in one breath. I was a bit shocked but I stayed silent, willing to listen. By this point, I stopped trying to make sense of the relationship I had with him. It didn't matter. By now, I figured it would just be easier to charge in head first... I already knew I would do anything the man asked...

"You don't have to care or say anything but I just ask that you listen..." he said quietly. I nod my approval and his lean shoulders slumped forward, as if freed from a great weight. He pulled his jacket off and set it over my own, adjusting his tight designer t-shirt over his slight frame.

"After, uhm, after I left, I cancelled my tour. I didn't feel up to performing when I felt so bad about you and everything else..." he paused and cleared his throat, "I thought I only needed time to clear my head so I went to Suna. It didn't take me long to realize that I just couldn't stop thinking about you and what happened with Amako..." his eyes flicked to me quickly and away again.

I tried my best to remain impassive. I wanted to hear everything he had to say. That's what he wanted, right? Not that I minded either. I liked listening to him, his voice. It almost calmed me to hear that smooth rumble.

"I knew Danzo would try something... he's the type to hold a grudge... So I went back to Korea and spoke with him. It didn't take long at all before he became enraged and ranted like a mad man. So I decided it was in my best interest to withdraw myself from that family by all means. My banks were cut off from theirs, my mail was changed to a new address and I sued them for the abuse and neglect they caused me during my childhood..." I frowned deeply. Sai's voice was cracking and wavering.

"Sai... you don't have to say anymore, it's ok," I laid a comforting hand on his shoulder but his shook his head, sending his straight, black locks flying.

"I want you to know...that I disowned them and left them bankrupt... and that I sold most of my possessions... The only thing I have left right now, Naruto, is my acting, modelling and singing career..." he sighed heavily as he turned to me. Grief haunted his eyes as he looked at me. He looked so lost, so broken and desperate. I felt a pang of guilt. Was it normal to feel like it was my fault?

"Naruto, I know I have no right to ask anything of you but you are one of the few things I have left... You can say no and I will understand and leave you alone if that's what you wish," he spoke so sincerely that it frightened me. What a turn of events! He changed. I could tell that everything that had been happening lately had a huge impact on him. I felt a strong desire to want to ease his burden.

"Can I live with you, permanently?"

Oh, was that all? Well, if that was the case then WHAT THE FUCK? It took him _that_ _long_ to get the courage to ask me that? What a dumbass! After all I've already done, after all I've proven to him! And he has the nerve to go and... Oh, fuck it, I can't be mad. I could only be elated really. Excited even. Honestly, I felt like I was in a TV show. These things just don't happen in real life. Never. But Hell, if the opportunity comes knocking, I sure as Hell am not going to pass that up!

"Sai, of course you can," I smile gently. A little more drama in my life couldn't hurt! "I don't mind at all but you've got to remember that Sakura lives here too," I reminded him softly. The look in his eyes told me he'd already thought of this and it didn't seem to bother him.

With things settled and put aside, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon watching TV in the living room until I had to pick up Sakura and my Dim Sum from the diner. Sakura was more than happy to meet Sai for the first time, properly, and ask him all about his life. Like all girls do I guess? I sat there quietly and listened. I was shocked to learn some things I didn't know before about the pale boy.

Like the fact that he liked anime, video games and baseball. He hated swimming and was an amazing artist. They don't write things like that down in newspapers or magazines. It was pretty interesting until about 11 pm. We had to go to bed now or we were going to be tired and cranky in the morning. So Sakura went to the spare room to change and I went to my room.

I was just taking off my pants when Sai came in behind me. "Where do you want me to sleep?"

Fuck! You know, I hadn't even thought of that! Tricky. Sakura had been sleeping with me since she's been here. All her stuff is in the spare room. And I sure as Hell wasn't going to make Sai sleep on the couch. I was in the middle of debating between giving him my bed and I get the couch or something else when Sakura came out of her room and gave me a tight hug.

"Night love birds! Don't be too loud tonight, ok?" she giggled and went back into the spare bedroom and shut her door.

Well... problem solved I guess.

"You're sleeping with me then I guess," I grinned at Sai and continued to undress. I crawled into my small bed and under the covers happily, yawning widely which brought tears to my eyes. Sai crawled in shortly after me and tried his best to stay on 'his side' of the bed. Kinda hard when my bed is so small. Our feet ended up tangled together but I didn't complain and he didn't ask to cuddle or anything like he did while we were in Korea and I had to wonder about him.

Was he really feeling that bad about everything?

I wasn't going to say anything. I really wasn't. If this was what he was comfortable with then that was fine. It's not like we were dating anyways. Not that we were before but... that was different... maybe? I wasn't even sure any more. I had grown more comfortable around him and the same went with him. If he wasn't comfortable with me he wouldn't have asked to live with me, right?

Agitated, I rolled onto my back and glared at the ceiling, hoping I could place all my blame on it. It didn't really work so I closed my eyes and rolled towards Sai. He was facing away from me and I could tell by the way his body was positioned that he was tense and stiff. I didn't understand why so I tapped his shoulder.

"Mmmm?"

"Sai, you ok?"

"I'm fine, Naruto."

"Well... ok then..." if he didn't want to talk about it then I wouldn't push him. I stayed facing him anyways and felt my eyelids grow heavy. It wasn't long before I felt my conscience pulled away from my body and led to the land of dreams. However, I felt something just before I fell asleep. Sai pressed his body into me and with a smirk I wrapped my arm around him and gave in to sleep.

...

Click. FLASH!

Giggling.

What the?

I groggily opened my hazy, sleepy blue eyes and found the back of Sai's head. Ok. Not the source of my irritation. I moved my gaze around to my bedroom door and saw it wide open and saw pink hair, a camera and a wide grin. The fuck?

"Sakura... what're you doing'?" I asked tiredly.

"Naruto and Sai, sitting in a tree! F-U-C-K-I-N-G! First comes lust! Then comes toys! Then comes Porn and a lot of noise!" she giggled out the adjusted rhyme and I glared. I sat up, prying myself away from Sai and stood menacingly, advancing towards her.

"What did you just say, Sakura-Chan?" I asked sweetly. Her emerald eyes widened and see held out her hands defensively.

"Suigetsu!" she cried, "Suigetsu made me! I swear!" she ran down the hallway and I was hot on her heels. What a way to start the day!

...

With Sai left at the house to relax, Sakura and I headed to work. Needless to say, Suigetsu got pay back for this morning so I felt better and I was feeling pretty good. I was actually feeling motivated enough to type away and finish 3 filler stories and by the time lunch rolled around I had nothing really to do. I got caught up on my paper work and letters and even reorganized my desk area a bit. Which was weird 'cause it wasn't even messy or dirty to begin with.

I met up with Sakura for lunch as usual and I grabbed a latte and a cookie. Normally, I could eat a lot more but seriously, have you _seen_ the size of the cookies they hand out at coffee shops? They're HUGE! But in a good way.

Sakura grabbed a salad and chocolate milk. Shikamaru joined us at the table in the small cafeteria soon after with French fries and gravy. Chouji followed with a huge plate heaped with Japanese food and a large can of soda. I guess all in all, today was a pretty good day. I was in a fantastic mood! We all chatted away and laughed, enjoying our hour long lunch break. When the time came to go back to our desks and get back to work, everyone groaned and struggled to their feet.

With a smirk, I got another latte and went to my desk to sit and stare at my computer screen. What could I do? I had already caught up on everything for a change and everyone else was working away while I relaxed. Deciding it would be bad for my health for Tsunade to catch me napping, I opened up my writing program to a fresh page, feeling the inspiration swell and build.

Suddenly, my fingers were tapping out words and my eyes followed eagerly.

'_Journal Entry #1 – October 11_

_It's a difficult thing to comprehend and understand and I still find myself pondering its massive character and impact. What is it that makes it so mysterious? What is it that makes it so plain and simple? Is there a limit to its power or is it infinite? Everything I hear about it makes it sound so contradicting yet I find myself searching for it. I want to know more and more yet I'm so frightened I want to know less and less. _

_Can anyone feel it? Is it earned, achieved, built up or found? Can it fix broken hearts, lonely souls or forgotten minds? Can it cheer you up or break you down? I get so lost and confused that I give up most days. _

_I guess I've never really thought about it before. Not in detail. I've always wondered what it would be like to finally find and hold it, know what it is. I'm not sure if I've found it yet or not but I can hope. Is it right or wrong to feel love for someone you can't measure up to?_

I paused and stared at my screen for a moment before I felt a blush crawl up to my cheeks and turn my ears red. What in the world was I thinking? This was so stupid! I reached up to press my delete button when I heard Suigetsu coming down the hall. In a panic I saved my work and closed down the screen with seconds to spare.

"Listen, lover boy, I know it's only Wednesday but I wanted to invite you to the bar tonight! I finally dumped my bitch of a girlfriend so I'm celebrating!" Suigetsu slung an arm around my shoulders with a wide grin plastered on his face. I raised an eyebrow.

"You mean Karin? There was nothing wrong with her."

"Dude, you have _no_ idea!" he chuckled and straightened. "So you comin' or what?"

I had to contemplate it for a second but I nodded anyways. "Anyone else coming?"

"The entire fucking office! That's who!" he marched back the way he came with a wave as he broke out into song. I had to laugh when I realized it was the lyrics from 'Why don't you get a job?' by The Offspring. That's a good song.

It didn't take long for my day to end. Before I knew it I was shutting down my computer and grabbing my jacket and work bag. Following everyone into the parking lot, I let up with Sakura at my truck and waved Suigetsu over.

"I'm gonna go home and change, I'll meet you there, yeah?" I smile lightly. He agreed with me and went his own way as Sakura and I clambered into Ol' Red. At home, Sakura and I undressed and redressed, making ourselves look presentable. It was when we were about to leave when I noticed Sai sitting quietly on the couch in the living room looking quite lonely and lost. I instantly felt horrible. How could I forget him?

"Hey Sai. Suigetsu and guys from work are going out to the bar... wanna come?" I asked, walking to stand beside the silent raven haired man. He glanced up at me with cold eyes and my heart jumped. Was he angry with me?

"Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" his voice rumbles out. I nod and look back at Sakura, silently telling her to wait in my truck. She shrugs and walks out, closing the door behind her. The second the door closed, I felt Sai tugging me down onto the couch so I sat beside him and waited for him to speak.

"Naruto... I was hoping... to catch you at a better time... but I guess this is it. I'm going to be gone for a few days. I have to go back to Korea and settle things with Danzo in court. I'm leaving tonight," he said it so blunt I was wondering if he really _was_ mad at me... that's when my guilt started building up in the pit of my stomach again. It was my fault, wasn't it?

"Ok, that's alright. You've got my number right? Just text me and let me know when you're coming home, k?" I smile gently at him. I wasn't exactly sure what to do, really. What was I _supposed_ to do?

"We've really gotta have a day to talk soon, ok? I've got something else I want to ask of you," he muttered and stood, going to my bedroom and closing the door. Well... I guess that is the end of _that_ conversation? With a heavy heart and befuddled mind, I left the house and climbed into the truck with Sakura.

You know, it's near impossible to ignore a woman's questioning. Seriously. If you don't know what it's like, you _don't_ _want to know!_ It's torture. It's like women just have this way of scaring you half to death and making it so you really have no choice _what so ever_ and you have to tell them! Tricky beings, women are! I will never understand them, especially not Sakura, yet I still love her? Now that is what I call fucked up!

Anyways, I told Sakura what Sai had said and she instantly went quiet, a soft expression of puzzlement on her face. I let her be until we got to the bar. We were just getting to the door of the pub when Sakura stopped me with a gentle hand.

"Naruto is there something you're not telling me?" her jade eyes were stern and searching. Well, of course there was. I hadn't told her that I had pretended to be Sai's boyfriend. I hadn't told her about Sai's adoptive mother, Amako-San, and how she beat me and damn near raped me. There was a lot I hadn't told Sakura but that was stuff she really didn't need to know. As far as she or anyone else knew, I was in a happy relationship with Sai and that was that.

I smiled my trademark wide smile and shook my head. "Don't worry about it Sakura! Let's go have fun!" I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside, meeting up with Suigetsu and the others.

...

Hey all! Here's a new chapter and the drama starts building.

What was Sakura thinking? What's this big secret that Sai wants to ask of Naruto? Will Sasuke come back? What happens next? Only time will tell! Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

Love you all.

TLC


	6. Cause I Say It Proud

**Missundaztood**

Chap 6 – 'Cause I say it proud

I think I'm really stressing out over nothing. I mean, with the way things are going, Sai is on a little journey of enlightenment. I don't think the problem lies with me... I don't think I should be blaming myself for things that aren't my fault. But that makes me think... _why_ am I blaming myself to begin with? Why do I feel guilty? If it wasn't my fault, I wouldn't be feeling that way, right? So what did I do wrong?

I started thinking about this the night Sai left. That was a few days ago. Five days to be exact. Four, long, painful days. What did he want to talk to me about? Was he really angry with me? Just _what did I do wrong?_

This is the only thought that crosses my mind for days. I keep replaying things over and over in my head. Was there something different I could have done, said, prevented? Could there have been a signal that I missed? I know thinking about this won't make me feel any better but I can't really help it. I'm not used to being the object of some ones anger... besides Sasuke...

I thought I had been doing alright with Sai. I mean, it wasn't perfect, our relationship, but it wasn't in the shitter either. You know? We had that strange medium. I thought it was a big step for him to sue his adoptive parents and to move out on his own and everything but did he really have to go and be mad at me like that?

This is _so_ God damned confusing!

"Naruto, get your head out of the clouds, brat!"

"Huh?" I looked around quickly, a frown on my face as I spun in my chair and come face to face with a giant set of boobs.

"Work, Dumbass! Work! You know, what you're supposed to be getting paid for right now!"

I swallow the lump in my throat and move my wide blue eyes up into the angry face of my boss. "Heh, yeah, sorry... I was just thinking about my next project and all," I lied, closing my eyes and ruffling my hair nervously.

At Tsunade's raised eyebrow, I knew she didn't believe me so I sighed heavily and hung my head. "Sorry, Tsunade... Just distracted. I'll get my work done on time though, I promise..."

The blonde woman clapped her hand down on my head harder than necessary before grinning, "Boyfriend trouble, yeah? I'd imagine it would be hard to love a celebrity... especially one as closed off as Sai... but you'll get over it, right brat?" She patted my head, making me wince, before turning around and walking back to her office, berating a few people on her way.

I sighed and turned back to my monitor, glaring at the words staining the white canvas of digital paper. I honestly couldn't think of much to type. The words were dying on my tongue and in my brain before they ever reached my fingers. What could I write that I haven't already written? It was here when my Journal Entry came into my mind.

Looking at the clock, I noticed I had enough time to make another so I opened up my previous entry and re-read it. Ok, makes sense. So I opened a new document and let the words pour from my frustrated mind.

'_Journal Entry #2 – October 16_

_I find myself falling deeper. Deeper into the cavern of confusion. What do I do? Where do I go? I'm on the long stretch of road yet there is no road ahead of me. I only have where I've come from but no idea where I'm going... _

_I thought I was sure about what I wanted out of my life and how to get there. I was positive I had it all mapped out to a science. Then one incident, one fateful meeting, changed my views. It's even made me start to question my life. My very being... _

_Who am I? What am I here for? I thought I knew my purpose; listening to others, using my writing talents to create stories, and my airy personality entertains others. I thought I was on the right track. Following my destiny and all that jazz. But my current life has brought new situations and puzzles in my way and it's seriously making me think twice about some things I had left up to destiny. _

_My destiny isn't written for us? Maybe destiny is something we write for ourselves. Maybe it is forged from the decisions we make now. Fate may put us on a specific path and entwine others with yours, but that doesn't mean its set in stone. You still make your own decisions, you still choose to fork left or right... to go uphill or downhill. _

_I believe fate brought us together. It is up to us to see if our paths stay together further up the road...'_

I stared at the words scrawled across my bright screen. They sounded right in my head, but maybe they didn't sound so good written down... It didn't make much sense to me anymore, but hey, at least I got the idea down. Maybe I could edit it later.

I saved it and closed the file before stretching in my chair and standing. It was close enough to closing time. I wanted to go home. "Sakura, I'm taking off," I say to the cubicle beside me. Sakura rolled her chair backwards to see me.

"Ok. Don't worry about driving me home tonight. I have an interview to go to," she smiled at me.

"Interview? With whom?" that confused me. I thought she liked working here at KAS studios?

"We have a new girl who applied here. She's from Korea but she has a good background. Tsunade just doesn't have time to fit her into her schedule so she asked me to cover for her," Sakura explained, moving back to her desk to pick up her ringing phone. "KAS studios, Sakura speaking," she answered professionally. I grin and ruffle her hair, holding my hand to the side of my head, a gesture for her to call me later. She nodded so I turned, grabbed my jacket and bag, and left.

I was just walking to the front doors when I heard a familiar voice. It wasn't one I could really place or name, but if I could recognize the fact that I knew it, that meant something, right? So I looked around for a moment, looking for the source. I followed the sound around the corner to the front office where the reception desk was and I gasped, drawing back against the wall.

No! Not her! Oh God, please! Don't tell me _she_ was the new girl... _please! _The almighty powers of fate were against me! I swear!

Oh please, oh please, oh please!

"Naruto? What're you doing?" Sakura asked, sneaking up and scaring me.

I jumped and yelped, holding a hand over my heart. "Jesus, Sakura... really? You gotta scare me? Don't tell me that... that... _pig face_ is coming to work for us?" I begged her. I wanted her to say no, she was just some random person. I prayed, hopeful, for the answer I wanted to hear.

"Naruto, that's not a very nice thing to say about your future co-worker," Sakura scolded me. She didn't understand my hatred towards Pig Face. Which is ok, 'cause I never told her. But I was absolutely positive that this woman was the same model-thin, fake, girl I met back in Korea. The one who gave me a hard time for 'converting' Sai and showing PDA*.

"Sakura, I'm telling you right now... do _not_ hire that girl! Please! I'm begging you! Don't hire her!" I beg my best friend, desperate pleading in my soft blue eyes.

Her pink locks flipped carelessly as she shook her head, not understanding me. "What do you mean, Naruto? She's perfect for the job. Good qualifications, high recommendations, hard worker... Tsunade really likes her."

She wasn't understanding me! "Sakura, please. Just make something up, like she didn't look like she'd last or something... Sakura, she's a homophobic... I met her in Korea... she bashed Sai and I... please, Sakura!" I begged, grinding my teeth in frustration. Sakura's eyes lit with understanding.

"Oh... oh, Naruto, are you sure this is her?" She looked over at the fake-blonde who was charming the receptionist, who, by the way, was a boy. Her average sized breasts were pushing out of her shirt as she leaned forward on the counter. I could only imagine what his face must look like...

I nodded vigorously. I wouldn't forget that fake hair and skinny, non-toned body built for nothing or that pig face...

"Naruto... I'm sorry, I don't really think there is much I can do, but I'll put in this info with Tsunade, ok?" she apologized, touching my arm softly. I close my eyes and sigh, running my fingers through my golden hair before nodding. I knew Sakura couldn't make these decisions. It was ultimately up to Tsunade, but I was sure Grandma would hire that Pig just to spite me... I bet she'd even put her in _my_ department too...

"Yeah, thanks Sakura..." There wasn't much left to say so I waved good bye and left the building. Feeling even more stressed than before. Settling myself into my truck, I push my keys into the ignition and start my engine, slightly relaxing as I listen to it roar to life. It was soothing, the way the whole body of the truck rumbled and vibrated, my radio starting up and blaring my favourite pop/rock station.

I sighed contentedly before buckling in and stepping on the brake.

A knock on my window shattered my calm and I yelped, jumping away from my door, throwing my hands up. But when I opened my eyes and looked out my drivers' window, I only saw the bored looking face of Kakashi, Sai's bodyguard.

Wait... Sai's bodyguard! Sai was here! Back in town?

Kakashi must have seen the excitement in my eyes because he just raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "He went to Korea without me... He's returning today but I thought I'd take this opportunity to talk to you alone."

"Oh... well, alright then. Get in. I've got places to be, ya know," I grin, leaning over to unlock my passenger door. The silver haired man nodded and moved around to climb in. Sitting next to me, he stared at me with his one visible eye and I instantly grew extremely uncomfortable. What was his problem? Was there something wrong with my face? I swallowed a growing lump in my throat as I pulled away from my work and onto the busy, early afternoon roads.

Kakashi stared at me all the way to the diner and to my home. I had to try my hardest to ignore the man and keep my eyes on the road. The tension in the cab of my truck was so thick, Kakashi would have a hard time cutting through it with a chainsaw. Just what did I do wrong? It took a lot of effort to prevent myself from sweating and fidgeting.

Needless to say, by the time I reached my house, I was a nervous wreck. Inside of course. I didn't think it would be a good idea to show my mental breakdown in front of this man. If I didn't know any better I'd say this man was weighing me, measuring and scrutinizing every characteristic, every flaw, and every pore on my body. What was he looking for? For me to fuck up some how? That made me even more nervous. What if I did something wrong without knowing it? Could I fix it? How would one go about watching where you stepped, without even knowing there's a viper waiting at your next step?

"Hungry?" I smiled, setting out the diner food for Kakashi and myself. He shook his head in refusal and that made me a bit disappointed. I was hoping to see if he would actually take off that god damned mask of his...

I shrugged it off before loading my own plate and grabbing chopsticks before making my way to my living room and turning on my TV. The damned body guard followed me and sat at the other end of the couch I was on and continued to stare. I would swear the man was a statue if not for the fact that he blinked every once in a while. I just couldn't make up my mind on whether or not I should cry, get mad, or just not care. But having him just sit there and watch me as I eat made me lose my appetite. It wasn't long before I set down my half-eaten food and turned the TV off, turning to him.

"If you've got something to say, then say it. It's making me uncomfortable having you sit there staring at me like that," I said rather bluntly. I didn't want it to sound rude but how else could I say that?

Kakashi blinked again before closing his eyes and tilting his head slightly to the side. Was ... that his version of ... a smile?

"I was just thinking about why Sai likes you so much," he said after a moment of silence. This caught me off guard and I frowned.

"What?"

"I don't see anything special about you whatsoever. You aren't very important, your job is mediocre, your social life doesn't exist outside the office... I'm just trying to figure out why Sai has been so influenced by you," Kakashi opened his visible eye again and gave me the Ol' once-over, looking me up and down from my sunshine mop of wild hair down to my white sock clad feet.

As much as I wanted to be offended, I couldn't blame the man. I wasn't all that much and I knew it. I wasn't important or extraordinary but my life worked for me and I was happy. And I made my friends happy. That was important enough for me.

But by Kakashi's standards, I was pretty low on the social status food chain. I wasn't much to look at, I didn't have rich parents or some cool, twisted past, or acting skills, or a models body and no 'friends in high places'. I was just me. I was confused about it myself. This topic had been bothering me for some time now.

Why me?

Why did Sai choose me to help him out? Why did he come to me out of all the people in the world he could have picked? What was it about me that kept bringing him to my side?

"To be honest, I don't know any more than you do, Kakashi. It's a mystery to the both of us. I know I'm nothing special but maybe I just seemed different and he let me see a part of him that no one else knows about... he trusts me. The reason, no one knows why, but he does and I'm going to do my best to make sure he isn't disappointed," I reply to the quiet man, staring at the moving pictures on the TV but not really seeing it.

Kakashi was silent for a little while, as if thinking over my words, deeming them worthy. I know Kakashi hated me, that much was obvious, but was he really going to prevent Sai from staying with me? Did I say something wrong?

Though, next thing I knew, Kakashi was standing and patting me on the shoulder and turning to go to my front door. With a frown firmly planted on my tanned face, I jumped up and raced to the door just before he left. "Need me to give you a lift somewhere?" I asked as he pulled his boots on.

Shaking his silver head, he declined. "No. I have a ride. But thank you, Uzumaki. I'm putting the puzzle pieces together. Sai will be back tomorrow morning so be up early. Ja!" With that, the mysterious man walked out my door into the quickly fading light. Man, was it already 6pm? Where the _fuck_ had time gone? Had I let Kakashi stare at me that long?

Strange.

But as I locked the door and walked back to the living room, my mind was back to puzzling and stressing out, which was _exactly_ what I _didn't_ want it to do!

But here's a thought; maybe Kakashi and I were thinking two different things? Well... let's sort this out here; Sai chose me to help him and keep him safe while with his parents and now he counts on me to continue looking after him at my house. But our contract/deal thingy was over. So I didn't have to pretend to be his boyfriend anymore... right? So now he was just some guy living with me... sleeping in my room... in _my_ bed...with _me_ and he cuddled _me_...

Wait, wait, wait... we aren't _dating_ are we?

No, we couldn't be! I mean... I only agreed to be his fake boyfriend until he could deal with his parents... that was the deal, right? I remember it being that way. Was there a hidden catch? Was there something I missed?

I'm not even _gay!_ I was only pretending! I was comfortable enough with my sexuality that I didn't mind pretending for him. Well, for one, he _is_ my idol and two, it's not like we _did_ anything...

With a heavy sigh, I packed up the remainder of the diner food and stored it in the fridge, not feeling up to devouring it. After I cleaned up, I went for a nice, long, hot, relaxing shower. Though it didn't help me as much as I would have liked, it still relaxed my tense body. So I crawled into my soft, warm, inviting bed with my boxers on and didn't bother crawling under the covers. I was pretty sure my body was still steaming from my scalding hot shower.

And I passed out this way, quite quickly. My brain was just too over loaded that it needed to shut down and restart. Too much data had been processed. Reboot was needed.

Please do not start Windows Naruto up again until the next morning, or for best results, next week... make sure to unplug _everything_...

...

I woke to a gentle tap on my shoulder. It was soft and delicate. An unsure touch. Which was strange. Why would Sakura be afraid to wake me? Maybe she had another run in with Sasuke?

Without opening my eyes, I rolled to my side and wrapped my arm around her warm, thin waist and pulled her down next to me. Her head was resting on my arm beneath the pillow and her body was slightly smaller than mine so her body fit perfectly against my curled frame.

"What's wrong?" I whispered into her hair.

"Uhm...Naruto?" was it just me or did her voice sound deeper than normal? Maybe she was sick.

"Yes?"

"Do you... know who you're cuddling?"

"Hmm?" of course I knew who I was cuddling. My roommate and best friend, Sakura...right?

"Wake up..."

I grumpily opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was dark hair. And not just dark hair. _Short_, black hair. I frowned in confusion before it registered in my mind that the person I just pulled into my arms was _not_ Sakura.

With this thought in mind, I shot up, my breath caught in my throat. I looked down at the faint tinge of pink on those pale cheeks and his slightly parted, moist lips and then it clicked in my head that it was Sai who I just pulled towards me. "Oh..." was all I could really come up with to say. With a faint blush on my cheeks to match Sai's, I scrambled out of bed and scrounged around in my dresser to find a t-shit and some sweat pants.

Sai sat up in my bed and looked at me with a curious expression on his face. And not just curious. He looked... saddened. Where Kakashi and I _really_ thinking two different things? Did Sai like me more than just this pretend relationship? Was I the only one seeing just friends?

"S-sorry... I thought you were Sakura..." I grin, closing my eyes and hoping he'd understand. But when I opened my eyes again, the expression on his face changed dramatically. Now it was closed off, dead, emotionless. Did I... say something wrong?

"I see. Did I come in at a bad time then?" he asked, climbing out of my bed and moving to the doorway.

"No... I was just... I forgot you were coming back so I thought only Sakura was home and she was coming to talk to me..." I tried to explain. Maybe he really _was_ thinking we were dating. But I didn't want him to think that. I was pretending... he knew that. But I didn't want to lose a friend because of this. No... I didn't want to lose Sai at all. I could tell he still needed me. He needed me in friendship I was sure. But maybe he didn't want friendship. If he wanted something more, wouldn't he ask me? And if he did, what would my answer be?

I wasn't gay. Never have been. I've always admired women. They were beautiful yet deadly creatures that could draw attention from across the room. Shapely curves, soft skin, beautiful faces... how could one _not_ love women?

But was I completely willing to cut myself off and dedicate my life to being straight without testing these waters? Was I bisexual?

"Right..."

He... didn't believe me?

"Uh... Good morning. Nice to see you home. How was your trip?" I asked quickly, trying to change the subject to something my overworked brain could deal with.

"I know its Tuesday, but could you call in work and ask for the day off? I'd like to talk to you today and work some things out."

Oh my, so serious? I guess I didn't really have a choice. How could I say no to his face? So I nodded and immediately went to my nightstand and pulled out my cell phone. After dialling Tsunade's number, I waited with baited breath for her harsh voice to answer.

"KAS Studios, Tsunade speaking!" Wow... I think that's about the first time I've ever heard her sound... cheerful...

"Uh... Tsunade, it's me, Naruto. I just wanted to call in and say I probably won't show up today..."

"_Sai's back in town, isn't he? Ok, cool. Whatever. Just make sure you stay caught up on your work ok, brat?"_ she growled, her cheerful voice instantly disappearing to that condescending tone that I was so used to hearing.

"Right! Thanks a lot, Tsunade!" I smile. I didn't want her to think I wasn't grateful.

The only answer I got was the dial tone so I hit End and closed my phone, turning to Sai. "Yeah, I'm free," I said to Sai, setting my phone back down.

Nodding, he left my room and went down the hallway, disappearing around the corner. I supposed I should take that as my cue to follow so I dressed quickly in proper clothing. Just loose blue jeans and my white t-shirt that said 'All of us are in the gutter though some of us are looking at the stars'. It was one of my favourites and most worn.

Afterwards, I grabbed my wallet, keys, and cell phone before going to the living room. Not seeing him there, I went to the kitchen. He wasn't there either. I shrugged, thinking he was waiting outside for me so I pulled on my white runners and grabbed my brown leather jacket. While I was bending down to tie my shoes, Sai came up behind me and touched my back to get around me. His touch startled me. I wasn't really expecting to make contact with me. I know it was something stupid to worry about but lately, all I've been doing is worrying about the small things.

He slid on his runners and left the house before me so I locked the door behind me and unlocked the passenger side door for him before I crawled into the driver's side. Once we were settled into my truck, I pushed my keys into the ignition and looked at Sai from the corner of my eyes.

"So, uhm... where we going?"

"The nearest park." His answer was short and curt. The way he said it was kind of rough, like he was snapping at me. A little confused, I thought of the nearest park and started making my way over. It was fairly close; a ten minute drive. But the drive over was tense. Sai never said anything to me and I honestly didn't know what to say to him. What was so important? Was he actually mad at me?

I looked at the ring on my finger, concentrating on the leaf sitting happily on the top while dark orange and blue fought against each other, swirling madly over the band.

With a frown, I looked back at the road and realized that I was coming up on the park. I signalled my turn and pulled into the parking lot, turning off my truck and letting myself out. Sai followed and soon we found ourselves lost down one of the many natural walking trails that littered the park.

The silence didn't end as we walked further and further into the dense, green forest. Stretching on, like the winding paths, the silence continued and it got to the point where I thought Sai was bringing me out to the middle of butt-fuck nowhere to murder me and conceal the evidence.

It was about 20 minutes into the walk when Sai finally spoke. Hearing his voice split the silence was a blessing, saving me from breaking the silence with some awkward question.

"Can I ask you something?" his voice was deep and steady. YES! I wanted to scream. YES! Anything but the siilllleeeennncccceee! I wanted to whimper at his feet and beg him to speak to me.

"Of course," I replied, keeping my inner turmoil to myself. Sai deviated from the path and into the forest, expecting me to follow. And I did. I followed him and watched as he climbed up a small hillside and sat at the top, looking back over the stretch of land we just trekked up. I followed up and sat beside him, admiring the long distance view I had of most of the park.

After a moment, Sai spoke again, much to my delight. "You remember our deal, right?"

I frowned but replied none the less, "Yes, of course."

"If I kept you from losing your job, you would help me deal with my parents by pretending to be my boyfriend... that was our deal."

It wasn't a question, but a statement so I stayed silent, thinking he had something else to add.

"Naruto... you've done a lot for me. You really have. You've done so much and expected so little in return and it makes me confused..."

Did I reply to that? I wasn't sure... So I answered in the simplest way I knew how. "Confused about what?"

"You, people, life, everything..." he said. He sounded hopeless. Lost. Like he had no idea what he was talking about and I couldn't blame him. I had been feeling the same way for the last week. I didn't know what to say so I stayed silent. That turned out ok though because he kept talking.

"I'm not used to being treated with respect and space... you give without taking... you gave me everything I asked for and were surprised when I gave you something in return and when I tried to give you something more, you refused... I can't figure you out. You don't fit into a neat box with everyone else because the second I place you there, you happily jump back out, grinning ear-to-ear..."

Ok... were these compliments or insults? I wasn't too sure.

"Everyone else is shallow, self-centered, egotistical, arrogant, and greedy. I'm not used to having someone so... loyal or dedicated by my side..."

I'm loyal and dedicated? I... guess so? Where was this going?

"Look, Naruto... what I'm trying to get at is you're different. I've never met anyone like you before and I don't want to lose you as my friend..."

Oh, well if that was all...

"Would you, ever, consider dating me? For real?"

... what? ...

**...**

WOOOOOOO! HUGE cliff hanger here. I hope I led up to it ok... And I hope it's kind of making sense to you all as I go through this huge emotional conflict.

What will Naruto's answer be? Will he and Sai work it out? Or will this drive a wedge between their slim friendship? Where does this path take them? Stay tuned to find out more!

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Love you all!**

**TLC**


	7. Everything I Want I Always Do

**Missundaztood**

Chap 7 – Everything I Want I Always Do

I stared at Sai with confusion writ plainly on my face. Confusion and shock. He kept his inky gaze fixed on mine, wide and completely open. This was it. He was finally opening up and expressing the feelings he had been keeping to himself for so long. These were the emotions he had been fighting with. He wasn't angry with me, I realized, but with himself because he wasn't sure of what he wanted.

He wanted acceptance. He wanted the love he never received while growing up, the trust he couldn't get from anyone else, the safety he had never felt.

Could I give it to him?

I _wanted_ to. I wanted to give him everything he asked for and more. I wanted to protect him and be the one he could trust but... love? The kind of love he was seeking was the kind I couldn't give.

Was I capable of overlooking the gender similarities? I was so used to being aroused by women like a vast majority of the male population. Was I willing to try this? One thing was for certain; Sai would be crushed of all hope if I turned him down.

But I had to weigh all possibilities here... I was comfortable being heterosexual. Gay was a bit of a stretch for me so what? Was I bisexual? Undecided? Confused? Curious? There were too many terms for this... what do I say?

I looked at Sai's hopeful face and my heart tightened and felt heavy in my chest.

I needed time to sort this out...

I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out. I closed my mouth, cleared my throat, and tried again to no avail. What the hell was wrong with me?

Sai frowned and watched my lips for a moment before looking away from me and back out over the long stretch of lush, green park. "I'll understand if you say no, Naruto. Don't feel obligated to say yes. I want you to speak the truth, ok?" his words were so soft and brittle. I was terrified to make any sound.

"Sai, I..." I cleared my throat again and looked out over the park with him. "Sai... I'm not sure... I've never thought about it before and I'm not sure what to think... I uhm... I also don't think it's a good idea." For some reason, I felt like I couldn't breathe. My chest was so tight, my heart so heavy, my mind so hazy. I felt so terrible. It was even worse when Sai closed his eyes and looked away from me to hide his pale face.

"Why do you think that?" he asked, his voice wavering.

"It's just... uhm... I think maybe you like me for all the wrong reasons, you know? I'm not the only guy out there, Sai and I'm certainly not the only one who would be willing to give you everything you need and more," I say softly, closing my tired blue eyes. "Just because I helped you out, like any friend would, doesn't mean I'm... you know, boyfriend material..."

There was a tight silence that seemed to push itself between Sai and I and I couldn't help but wonder if I just blundered my way into losing a friend. I opened my eyes and reluctantly looked over at Sai's back. He was so still and unmoving that I thought for a moment that he had left me and placed a statue in his place. My concern only grew as I saw his shoulders shake with the effort of controlling a sob.

I made him cry... great, now didn't I just feel like the worlds' biggest _ass_ right now?

With guilt, I sidled over to him, wrapped my arms around his stomach and pulled him into my lap. A sharp intake of breath told me that I scared him but I held tight, holding the smaller body firmly and trying to convey my mixed, wild emotions to him. I knew it wouldn't work but it was worth a shot.

The next moment, Sai leaned his head against my chest and sniffled softly. "I don't _want_ anyone else, Naruto... No one else could have gone through what you did and still have enough sanity and courage to stay with me... I don't want to pressure you but... would you at least consider _trying?_ I can wait for you," he whispered gently to my chest.

My throat felt dry and parched and my heart still thrummed painfully against my rib cage but I could breathe again. "Sai... I don't know..." I said gently. He was shaking slightly so I rubbed my hands up and down his arms to warm him up as I looked out wistfully across the park. I could only hope that some epiphany would smack me in the face and help alleviate the stress that was weighing down on my shoulders. However, no such epiphany occurred and I was still left with the imminent problem at hand that I wasn't sure how to deal with.

"What's stopping you?" he asked softly. It wasn't prodding or snarky. It was genuinely curious so I answered as truthfully as I knew how.

"Fear..."

"Of?"

"Gender I think... Up until recently I've been completely straight. It's not like I had anything against gays, lesbians or bisexuals. I was just a firm believer that I was straight. But lately... I don't even know. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel or act or speak, I'm so confused. I don't know if I can accept a same gender relationship, you know?" I could hear my voice wavering now too so I swallowed the dry lump and felt my throat tighten and close off, making my lungs burn.

A sigh escaped the man I was holding and he straightened his shoulders and pulled from my grip. He didn't look at me as he stood, brushed off his clothes and held out a hand to me to help me up. I took it and let him lift me to my feet.

I brushed my clothes off too and was about to suggest climbing back down to the truck when I saw the expression on Sai's face. It was raw. Uncontained and raging behind those swirling black depths as he looked at me with hunger. Taking a step forward, I was about to ask him if he was ok when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me against him gently.

"Can... if you don't want to date me than can I just kiss you?" he asked, his eyes staring into mine seriously. That raw, ravenous hunger never left his eyes as he waited with baited breath for my answer.

A kiss? Kiss... kiss Sai? Kissing Sai... Sai kissing me... Me kissing Sai... Me kissing Sai and Sai kissing me...?

I licked my lips, unable to think properly at the moment.

Why? Why kiss Sai?

Why _not_ kiss Sai?

I almost groaned out loud at my inner turmoil. Why was I letting this affect me?

I swallowed, licked my lips, ruffled my hair and, finding no excuse not to, nodded, seeing as I was incapable of proper speech for the time being.

The fire lit in his eyes and he wrapped his arms around my back softly, pulling me closer to him as he leaned in. His gaze was focused solely on my quivering lips. My heart leapt painfully, smacking itself against my chest, screaming at me. I couldn't focus on what it was trying to say but if I had to take a guess, I'd say it was screaming 'YES! OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD YES!'

That's what I'd be screaming too...

Instead, my eyes locked on his pale lips too and I felt my body tense up as Sai pressed his body flush against mine and tilted his head ever-so-slightly so our noses wouldn't bump. My nose was still sore and healing from when Amako remodelled my face but that pain was forgotten the closer Sai got. Now, just a breath away, he hesitated only for a moment before so, _so_ gently pressing his lips against mine.

I melted.

I mean, I've kissed before and I knew how it worked. But none were so... _tasty_ and _tempting_ before.

Generally though, both partners had to put in an effort and that was something my brain wasn't comprehending. Sai pulled away with a light frown and look of disappointment. I didn't kiss back.

He opened his mouth to apologize. That's when my brain fired up again and I pushed my lips down on his to keep him from apologizing for something I did. This time, he melted. His grip around my back loosened and his eyes fluttered shut as his lips moved perfectly over my own. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I held him up against me as I suppressed a gasp as my heart suddenly started beating again.

I hadn't realized it stopped.

A part of my brain told me that it shouldn't feel this good. His lips shouldn't feel this soft, his body shouldn't feel this warm, his taste shouldn't leave me hungry for more. The other, larger, part of my brain told the other part to shut up as I tightened my hold on Sai. It felt like an eternity before I pulled away, flushed, slightly breathless and feeling weak in the knees.

Sai was in much the same state that I was in but worse off. Shaking, shivering, Jell-o is what he had become and I had to hold him up to keep him from toppling over like cooked spaghetti noodles.

I held him and watched his flushed cheeks for forever. Waiting patiently till he recovered, I took great delight in the shivers running up and down his spine.

It shouldn't feel this right. Yet somehow it did. My heart was still pounding heavily against my chest but this time I listened as it screamed 'What the HELL is your problem? KISS THAT BOY AGAIN!'

"Ok," I whispered.

Sai's eyes snapped open and I felt him try to stand straight. "Ok, what?" he asked cautiously, licking his pale lips.

"Ok," I confirmed with a tiny smile, "I'll try."

...

Awwwwweeeee...

Short chapter I know and I just hope that you all don't shoot me for it but I just wanted to focus on the work up to their discovery.

I hope the quality and contents of this chapter keep you all happy until the next update!

**To Genesisgoboom**: I'm glad you are still reading even though you don't have time to review. I hope everything is still to your liking and I hope everything is well on your end!

**And to everyone else to read and reviewed, I thank you very much and I hope you enjoy the chapters to come! **

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Love you all**

**TLC**


	8. Looking For The Right Track

**Missundaztood**

Chap 8 – Looking For The Right Track

It was hard to get through the rest of the week without getting distracted. It was hard to get used to the fact that I was now an official 'item' with Sai. Jesus, just last month I was listening to his CD and thinking about his next concert when I met him outside Sakura's house... it feels like it's been so much longer than that. I've gone through so much already and done so much that, instead of it being only one month, it's been at least 3 or 4.

But that wasn't the case. It's only been 4 days since we kissed and I agreed to date him for real. For some reason, I was expecting something to change; something to happen or blow up... maybe feel a little more in the spotlight. But nothing happened. That first night when we came back home, we sat and watched TV. I picked up diner food and we had a pleasant conversation. Nothing special at all until I found a movie I enjoyed. I leaned back on my sofa with one leg bent up against the back and my other leg was firmly resting on the floor. Sai had moved in between the space I had created with my legs and cautiously pressed his back against my stomach, laying his weight gently on me and the sofa.

He was stiff and reluctant; like he was afraid I was going to push him away. Would I have in a different situation? Probably... This was a fairly intimate moment... an intimate position... but isn't this what normal couples do? Cuddle while watching a movie? So instead of pushing him away or getting mad, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him a little closer.

His tension slipped away at my touch and I felt him relax and melt against my body. His head rested comfortably on my chest under my chin and we watched the movie till he fell asleep.

Every day since then has been so utterly... _normal_ that it was almost disappointing. Sai wouldn't even let Kakashi into my house so things were quite quiet; not that the bodyguard talked much anyways. I have to keep reminding myself that he is just a normal person, a normal human and when he isn't acting or singing or on tour, he is a regular male without work.

But personality wise, a lot has changed. Since all the legal battles were finished with his parents, with him winning of course, he became a lighter person. His normally paper-white skin had darkened slightly, making his complexion look not as deathly pale. His eyes, normally closed off and cold, were now deep, swirling depths. Sai had even become a bit more optimistic and his perverted side had returned.

I can't say I missed that much but he is happier now. He even smiles more often now. Well... his smiles are only for me, I can tell, but it's better than the gloomy shell he had been in for weeks.

But today was Saturday. My first day off since I took Tuesday off. I wanted to start my day like I did any other Saturday with a trip to see Yesung, my suffering friend. Before I met Sai, every Saturday I would drive to downtown Konoha, pick him up and go do anything the boy wanted to do. Lately though, my poor friend had been neglected. Lately, I've been spending my Saturdays with Sai and I had spent 2 of those Saturdays in Korea...

I needed a Saturday with Yesung.

But I also didn't want to move. I was on my stomach with one of my legs bent up, making my body tilt slightly. My arms were under the pillow and the covers were draped across my waist. I was _so_ comfy... and Sai was lying with his front pressed tight against my back, his one arm draped over my waist with the blankets and his legs were tangled comfortably with my own. His face was pressed close to the back of my head and I could feel his steady, warm breath on my skin.

Would he mind if I got up? Could I slip out from under him without waking him up? I could try and put a pillow in my place but would he notice the lack of warmth?

Did I even _want_ to move?

Truthfully, no, not really. Everything right now felt perfect, at peace. His warm skin over my back, my legs entwined impossibly yet comfortably, his breath ghosting over my skin and the shell of my ear. I felt my eyelids drop back down feeling like they weighed a ton.

No! Yesung! I needed to see my friend.

With a reluctant sigh, I worked on untangling our legs first. Once my legs were free, I lifted his arm gently and slid myself forward, placing my pillow where I was and set his arm back down. His pale face remained peacefully undisturbed as he pulled my warm pillow towards him. Letting a soft smile plant itself on my lips, I grabbed some clean clothes and my cell phone and headed to the bathroom silently to change. I ruffled my hair and looked at myself in the mirror and decided that I felt pretty good today.

You know, those random days where you don't know why but you just feel good? Yeah, that's today. I grabbed my jacket and slipped it on while stuffing my feet into my runners, grabbing my keys and wallet. Then I left the house as quietly as I could so I wouldn't wake up Sakura or Sai.

And I tried to push the feeling of guilt out of my head. I will _not_ go back inside and curl up next to Sai...

...

"NARU!" Yesung nearly knocked us both to the ground as he threw himself into my arms. I was used to this though and was already braced for his too-thin body to smash itself against mine. His spindly arms wrapped themselves around my neck and I let out a small grunt as I tried to keep breathing in his death grip. "You came!"

"Of course I came to see you! You're my little Sun-Kun!" I grinned widely and set him back down on his feet. His big brown eyes were smiling and happy as he took my hand and led me inside his small apartment.

I've always hated going inside his home. Not just for the fact that it was too small for him and his 3 siblings but because whenever I went there, his Mother would be sitting in the same seat doing the same thing. She sat in a gross, 1970's pink upholstered chair, a thin, dark blue blanket crumpled and wrapped around her, a smoke in hand, and a bowl of chips in her lap as she watched the latest Programme.

Disgusting...

Most of the little apartment was clean because Yesung cleaned it and looked after the kids but he wouldn't touch the living room where his Mother was; I wasn't blaming him, so the room was dank, smelling of stale cigarettes and moulding food.

And even though it's been weeks since I was here last, nothing had changed. She still sat, unresponsive, in her chair, her eyes glued to her TV, smoke in hand. I averted my sad, blue gaze and focused on Yesung. He led me quickly through the apartment to one of the 3 bedrooms.

I was immediately swarmed with hushed calls of excitement and hands tugging my clothes for attention. Yesung was the oldest of 4. With him being 18, the next was his sister, Hae-Won, who was 13, then Yoora, his 11 year-old sister. Finally came little Bae, the youngest. He was a quiet little 8 year-old and I felt bad for him. For all of them. Hae-Won and Yoora were the only real siblings while the rest were all half-siblings. Each had a different father with the exception of Hae-Won and Yoora having the same father.

It kind of sickened me to see a woman go around like that carelessly then forget her children even existed. In a weird, twisted way, it almost reminded of Sai's adoptive Mom.

"Have you come to play with us, Naruto?"

"Will you take us for lunch?"

"The arcade?"

I was bombarded with questions and pleas and I had to laugh and settle them all down. I moved into the squished room (the girls shared this room so there was a bunk bed pressed against the wall and a dresser without room for much else) and sat on the bottom bed, slouching to fit into the small space.

Bae loved me the most out of them all, for some reason. It was an unspoken rule that whenever I sat down, he would occupy my lap and I didn't mind. The others didn't either. They knelt in front of me or beside me on the bed. With a smile, I opened my arms and Bae crawled into my lap silently, gripping my shirt in his little hands.

Of the four of them, Bae was the only one who had blue eyes. His were much deeper and darker than mine were though and it made him look just adorable. I wrapped my arms snugly around the child and smiled at them all warmly.

"I can only do one thing with you all today so I want you all to agree on what that will be." This was our normal routine. They would all pout and whine but agree and quickly find something everyone wanted to do. And no matter what it was, I always tried to do it for them, within reason of course.

Hae-Won, though slightly chubby, was super talkative so she immediately started throwing ideas out at a million miles a minute. Her sister, Yoora, was the trouble maker and grinned evilly with her own thoughts. I already knew I was going to be saying no to her. Yesung was sitting beside me on the bed and didn't suggest anything. I already knew that he would do anything the younger ones wanted to do. He was selfless like that.

Then my little Bae-kun spoke up, "Mini golf?"

Hae-Won and Yoora instantly agreed in a squeal of chatter and excitement and Yesung grinned widely, ruffling Bae's light brown hair like a proud brother would do.

...

My phone vibrated in my pocket by the time I brought the kids to the Mini-Golf place in the Mall. I had paid for us all and we were just setting up to tee-off when I pulled my phone out. There was a new text message so I opened it and smiled when Sai's name popped up.

'_You didn't say good-bye...'_

I cheer on Bae who went first and got his little blue ball close to the hole before texting back.

'_Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up. Sleep well?'_

I shut my phone and slipped it back in my pocket as Yoora shot next with her black ball. She didn't make it quite as far as Bae but she was happy as she bounded down to stand protectively over her ball. Hae-Won was next with her bright, neon pink ball and chattered away about how awesome she was at Mini-Golf. I laughed when she didn't make it as far as Yoora's ball.

Yesung was next and he had the green ball. He aimed carefully and his ball rolled artfully around Hae-Won's and Yoora's and stopped a short way away from Bae's. Bae and Yoora cheered. Hae-Won booed with a cute pout on her dark lips.

I stepped up with my yellow ball (they didn't have orange) and manage to get mine down by Yesung's and Bae's.

My pocket vibrates again. Telling Hae-Won she could go because she was the furthest from the hole, I pulled out my phone and looked at my new message.

'_Slept ok. Had a funny dream about you.'_

I suddenly felt nervous. A funny dream about me? I hoped it was nothing bad...

'_Oh yeah? What about me?'_

Snapping my phone shut, I shoved it into my pocket as Yoora finished her shot. Bae was closest to the hole than Yesung but he was closer than me so I took my shot and got mine in the little plastic hole. Bae smiled his adorable smile and Yesung gave me a high five before sinking his own ball in right after me. Hae-Won was next, then Yoora and Bae. With wide smiles, we all picked up our coloured balls and moved to the next hole while I wrote down our numbers.

Bae lined up his blue ball when my phone went off again.

'_You were so cute, dressed as a girl... you make a perfect Uke.'_

My cheeks flushed darkly as I blinked and looked at my phone in shock. Me... dressed as a girl...? _What?_ I angrily texted back and shoved my phone back into my pocket, waiting for the others to finish before I lined up my own yellow ball.

By the time we all reached the 8th hole, Sai and I had gotten into a full blown text-war and Yesung asked me if I was feeling sick. The girls giggled at me whenever my face lit up at Sai's new text and Bae was just too involved in the golf to notice and for that, I was grateful.

Eventually though, we finished all 18 holes and with wide smiles on our faces, we handed back our balls and putters and head through the mall.

"Naru, can we have ice-cream?" Yoora asked, tugging at my jacket with wide dark brown eyes. I grinned down at the 11-year-old and nodded, loving the way all their faces lit up. Bae held my hand tightly as the girls bounced through the crowds towards the food court and Yesung walked on my other side, hands in his pockets.

"Thanks, Naru. I really appreciate you doing this for them," Yesung said quietly, his soft russet eyes watching his half-sisters talking amongst themselves.

"Don't mention it. That's what I'm here for," I smile and pat him on his bony shoulder.

He shook his head, sending his light brown hair swinging. "No...You don't know how much this means to them. They look up to you, Naruto. You're their idol. Almost every night they talk about you and the fun things we all do... they can't wait to go out again. You take them away from their world and make it seem like everything is ok even if its' for just one day. If it weren't for you, Naruto... they would have given up a long time ago... _I _would have given up..."

"We love you, Naru..." Bae said softly, squeezing my hand tightly with his little one.

I swallowed the rising lump in my throat and looked down into those trusting blue eyes. I had to believe every word Yesung said. I wasn't there every day so I had no idea what they all talked about or did in their free time between my visits. And Yesung only ever called me Naru. When he used my full name, I knew he meant business.

I was going to say something, I wasn't sure what, when we reached the food court. The girls were already racing towards the ice-cream kiosk with Yoora in the lead. Bae let go of my hand to chase after them, a huge smile on his small face. Yesung only glanced at me and grinned softly before chasing after them all.

I cleared my throat to rid the burning of cries and tears that wanted to be shed for these kids. The best I could do was what I was doing, I guessed. Yesung said I gave them hope and something to look forward to. I make their pain go away. Until I could do something better, this would have to do.

"What do you want, Naru?" Bae asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

With a smile, in my head I thought 'For you to be happy' but I opened my mouth and asked for two scoops of green tea in a bowl. My pocket vibrated again and I ignored it as I led my happy followers to a table.

...

"Tadaima!" I called into the house as I walked in the front door. I heard Sai call back from the kitchen and I made my way over to him. "Where's Sakura?"

"She left this morning... something about shopping with a girl friend," he replied quietly. I nodded. Sakura often went out with her friends. So I leaned against the counter and frowned, watching Sai cut up vegetables.

"So... what are you doing?" I asked, picking up a slice of green pepper. I popped it into my mouth before he could slap my hand away.

"Making real food," he muttered.

"You getting tired of diner food?" I asked with a grin. He stayed silent so I poked his side. Sai let out a small grunt and tried to move away from my offending finger. "Are you mad at me?" His attitude was a bit... snippy. Is that even a real word? But Sai stopped cutting and looked at me with those black eyes that I've come to read so well. He wasn't mad, just agitated.

With a sigh, I left the kitchen, deciding not to pester my boyfriend.

Oh my... that just sounded weird. My boyfriend. I had to take a moment to roll that around on my tongue. They were foreign words; words I definitely wasn't used to saying. They had a weird sound to them, no matter how I said them.

My boyfriend.

My lover? No, that sounded worse. My...significant other? No, that sounded like I was distant and ashamed. Well _there's_ a thought. _Am _I ashamed? Why would I be ashamed to call him my boyfriend? My best guess was that I was still getting used to the fact that I was dating a guy.

It was harder than I thought really. I didn't even know what a real relationship was supposed to be like. I've never been in one. Well, once, while I was in Middle School but that was about it. And it lasted all of two weeks. I had no idea what I was getting myself into really. Maybe I should ask Sakura. She would know, wouldn't she?

"You know that look doesn't suit you," Sai said with a small grin on his pale lips. I turned to look at him and had to smile despite myself. He had a dish towel slung over his shoulder and food remnants on his shirt.

"No, but _that_ look suits _you_. You make a good housewife," I jab back with a grin. His grin widened.

He reached for my hand and pulled me back to the kitchen and pushed a knife into my hands. A knife? Oh my, when was the last time I used _any_ of this stuff? With silence, the man started making me cut celery and carrots while he went to the wok and started pouring in ingredients from my cupboards. I didn't realize I had any of this! I had been eating diner food for... Jesus, a few years now? All the stuff I had when I moved in about 4 years ago had been forgotten in favour of easy diner food. I never bought anything that could spoil or go bad and the only thing I had in my fridge were bottles of water, a few cans of alcohol, maybe some sake. Stuff I never touched. And here Sai was, pulling spices and sauces out of my cupboards like he knew where everything was.

That or he was just fantastic at improvising.

"So... what are you making anyway?" I asked as I cut the celery slowly as to not hurt myself.

"Stir fry," he replied quietly, pouring plum sauce into the mixture already steaming in the wok. Stir fry huh? I haven't had stir fry in...well, years. I gave up cooking for myself a long time ago.

"Why?"

"I dunno... I felt like eating something different. And I wanted to do something nice for you," he said it as plain as day, like we were talking about the weather. Was it really that easy? To just say something like that? I wouldn't know. What were the do's and don'ts of dating and saying things like that?

I need to go read some books or something...

I feel far behind in the dating area. Years behind. It was never something I had to think about. I was never interested in anybody, male or female. And listening to others problems in their relationships didn't exactly help much. But I guess they kinda told you what _not_ to do.

You know what? This is supposed to be a learning experience. Something we both have to go through together. So maybe I should talk to Sai about it. That's what couples do, right? Communicate?

"Hey, Sai...? Can I ask you something?" for some reason or another, I felt obligated to ask permission. My heart was clenching painfully in anticipation. Why was I afraid to ask him?

"Hmm?"

"What... I mean, I've never..." why do I always make a fool of myself in front of him? Why can't I put my thoughts into words? "Are we... am _I_ doing this right?"

"What do you mean?" he stopped what he was doing to look at me with those eyes. They weren't hard or judging but soft and patient. Like he had nothing else better to do with his time than to listen to me.

Feeling reassured, I elaborated on my stupid question. "Well, I've never really been in a relationship before... I'm not quite sure how everything works. I'm just wondering if I'm doing it right?" I kept my sapphire eyes glued to the cutting board in front of me on the counter.

"Are you uncomfortable with the situation?"

"No... no just... lost. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing..." I admit. Pitiful, isn't it?

"If it makes you feel better, I've never dated anyone either. I guess it's just going to be more of a hit and miss as we figure it out," he replied calmly. Would nothing faze this man? It was like he had a bloody solution to everything! But I did feel oddly comforted so I let it be for now. I felt a door open though.

A figurative door, silly! I don't have god damn spidey senses or anything!

A door between me and Sai. It's a two way door. I can talk to him and he can talk to me... I think this is a big step for us. This made me feel like we were doing something right.

...

Ok, so it's been a little while since I've posted anything for this story and I'm sorry for the wait and the lack of drama. But I felt like I needed to slow things down a little since the last few chapters have been nothing BUT drama.

I also wanted to delve deeper into Naruto's relationship with Yesung and his little family and what his life is like.

SO I hope you all enjoy it enough? If not, please let me know or if there's something you want to see, please tell me. I wanna know what you guys think!

**To piratepenguin666:** Thank you so much for your review. You made me smile. You also assured me that I'm going in the right direction with their relationship. Thank you and I hope you keep reading!

**To Genisisgoboom:** I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter for what it was. Saying it has charm makes me feel prideful but in a good way Thank you. I also like knowing that you keep your eye out for this story so I hope I keep writing in a way that makes you want to come back!

**To Purianee**: I think your review made me laugh the most. And probably made me feel the happiest. I'm glad you are enjoying it so much and I look forward to hearing your opinions about this and future chapters! Thank you so much!

**And to everyone else who read and reviewed my story and showed support, THANK YOU SO MUCH! **

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

**LOVE YOU ALL,**

**TLC**


	9. Always On The Wrong Track

**Missundaztood**

Chap 9 – Always On The Wrong Track

The following Monday morning resulted in another day of disappointing normalcy. I mean, when I agreed to date Sai, I had honestly thought that something would change. Honestly. I don't know what would have changed. But when people looked at me on the street I kept wondering if they knew. I kept thinking that they were looking at me because I was with Sai.

Of course that's a silly thing to think. I knew people weren't looking at me for that reason at all. But I felt as if something should have changed. I don't know, it's kinda hard to explain.

Anyways, after dinner on Saturday, things had mellowed out. We sat and watched TV, Sakura had come home all happy and I talked with her for a while. Apparently, Sasuke had not tried to contact her yet and it looked like she was alright with that.

Unfortunately for me though, Sakura told me that after all the interviews Tsunade-Baa-chan had conducted, she still thought that model pig was the best one for the new job. She would be starting Monday. I felt a little betrayed. I mean, I'm not Tsunade's favorite or anything but I had been there for 4 years. I had hoped she would consider what I had to say when it came to things like this.

Sunday went by without much happening. Sai had a TV interview to go to so I got to spend the day with Sakura. While I was out with her, I had tried asking her opinion on relationships. It totally didn't go the way I thought it would. It turned out to be more of a disaster than anything.

"You mean you're dating a hot actor who likes to cook for you and spend time with you and spoil you," at this I played with the beautiful orange and blue ring that Sai had bought me for my birthday about 2 weeks ago, "And you don't know what to do with him? Naruto! You should be ravishing the man!"

She had seemed so adamant about it that I blushed so darkly my ears burned. "What are you talking about? Sakura we are both just kind of taking our time about this...we haven't...I mean, I'm not..."

She laughed loudly and patted me on the back, "You're so hopeless Naruto! So you two haven't had sex yet?"

"S-Sakura!"

"That's a no."

"You can't just-"

"Well, have you thought about it at least? I mean, you two have been together for over a month... You had to have at least established who is who in the relationship, right?"

My mouth hung open as I stared at her blankly. How could she be so open about this? How could she ask me such blunt questions? "Wh-who's who?"

"Well, in same-sex relationships it would be referred to as Seme and Uke. Pitcher and catcher. Master and Slave. Dominant and submissive. Attacker and receiver..."

"Ok, ok, ok, I get it!"

"Well, who are you?"

I didn't know how to respond. What was I? I didn't know. I never thought of it really aside from the one message Sai had sent me on Saturday saying I was cute dressed as a girl and that I would make a perfect Uke. That message had resulted in a text war over who was more girly but aside from that we never discussed 'who' was 'who' in our relationship. To be honest, I wouldn't even know.

How do you classify something like that? Whoever is manlier is the Seme? I don't think that's right. I thought, or would like to think, it was just mutual. Something we could work out later. Choosing something like that right now was too soon. I liked Sai, I really did, but as far as I was aware, I was still confused. A decision like that wouldn't come up right away. Or so I hoped.

"I'm nothing at the moment. I'm still kind of uncomfortable about the whole thing, you know? Still getting used to the fact that I'm with a guy. And besides, I think it's even. Sai is too girly to be a dominant person... however... he _is_ perverted and daring enough... I don't know..." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair.

"So you're the submissive?" she suggested with an impudent smile.

I had stood up, threw my arms up in exasperation and walked away, "I don't wanna talk about it!"

Yeah, it didn't go well...

And I didn't dare bring it up with Sai as I had no desire to know what he thought about it if he was going be as bold as Sakura.

So I blocked out the world until Monday rolled around. Then I had to continue to block out the world because, unfortunately, Sakura works with me at KAS Studios. That and the model pig started today. So I went straight to my cubicle, fired up my computer, plugged in my headphones and turned up the music as I started typing away.

It felt good to be back to work. I always loved immersing myself in my job. Writing was one of a few talents I had. Losing myself in a story was the greatest thing for me. Anything from cute, heart warming fluff stories to funny, wacky, pointless stories used to take up space in the newspaper and take up time for our news anchors. I could write it all.

Unfortunately though, I wanted to take my talents to the camera studios. I didn't just want to be a writer; I wanted to be an announcer, an anchor. Last time I tried, Tsunade blew me off and gave it to this other girl I work with, Hyuuga Hinata. She was cute, I'll give her that, but she was about as courageous as a kicked puppy. I didn't think she had what it took to be in front of a camera and a live audience.

Oh well... I guess my talents were going to stay right where they were. I kept my secret weapon to myself though. My book. I never told anyone about it as it was a work in progress and I didn't think it was that great. It was more or less just a test run to see if I could do it. I wanted to know if I could actually sit down and commit to something that big. Some days, when I was done my work and I had nothing else to do, I would sit and work on it.

That was the only time I worked on it too. I had been working on the damn thing for 4 years because I never take it home with me. I had vowed to myself I'd never take my work home with me. That and I wanted to have something to work on when I was bored at work.

When I finished it though, I really hoped it was good enough for me to publish and sell. I mean, it takes money to make money you know? It would really suck if I put in all that time and money to have it all go nowhere because I wrote a horrible book.

Anyways, I'm off topic. I was at work, typing away on my computer, writing some story about how this old lady in the area was well over 100 years old, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I jumped and pulled out my headphones before turning around.

Tsunade-baa-chan was standing there with a warm smile on her face, which was something I wasn't used to seeing. But standing right beside her was Pig Face. She looked the same as when I saw her in Korea with Sai. Her bleached blonde hair was pulled up into an intricate bun with a few strands of bangs hanging down to accent her face. I could see the blue contact lenses on her eyes and I could see the layers of makeup, eye shadow and lip gloss she had on.

Instead of her skimpy outfit though, this time she went for office casual which looked better; I didn't like looking at her wiry form. She wore a light lavender blouse, a dark indigo pencil skirt that rested above her knees and _definitely_ accentuated her thin curves, and soft purple flat shoes to complete the look.

They were both looking at me expectantly so I looked at Tsunade for help.

"Uzumaki-San, this is our new systems manager, Yamanaka Ino. Yamanaka-San, this is Uzumaki Naruto, one of our best writers and communication coordinator. He can speak English and Spanish as second and third languages!" I thought for a moment that Tsunade was trying to make me embarrassed until I saw the smug look she was giving her. Tsunade was trying to impress and belittle her. That just made my day!

I stood with a brilliant smile and bowed politely, saying a greeting in perfect English. Tsunade clapped a hand on my back. "One of my best workers, he is! Brilliant mind! Did you know he is actually dating that famous actor and singer, Sai? Amazing! Anyways, over here we have Haruno Sakura who was quite a scandalous item with Uchiha Sasuke..." she prattled on, leading Ino away.

I tried to contain my laughter. Way to go Tsunade. If Tsunade-baachan knew Ino was homophobic then she showed no signs of it. And dragging her around the office showing her how awesome all the people are... that old lady sure could surprise me even now.

I went back to my work, happy as I possibly could be. It didn't take me long to get through my article and a few more for tomorrow and some extras just in case. Those articles never had to be long so it didn't take much effort. Before long, I found myself out of work to do. After chatting with Sakura and Shikamaru for a bit, I went back to my computer and opened up a new Word document. I stared at the blank page for a little, drumming my fingers on my desk.

Then I sat forward and began pounding on the keyboard.

'_Journal Entry #3 – October 23_

_I'm so confused. I've been tossed into a whirlwind of worlds colliding and imploding. I've been told that I haven't been going fast enough. I've been told I'm going too fast. I've been told I shouldn't even be in this situation. I don't know where I'm supposed to be. _

_I'm happy; I won't deny that, but... I feel lost. I feel like I'm missing something. Like there is something I'm supposed to be doing to make things move forward. But what is it? What is it that I'm missing? _

_Spending time with him really makes me happy. When he is around, nothing else matters. As cheesy and over-used as that is, it's true. When he is gone, I can focus on other things. I act differently, I think differently, I wanna do so many things and plan my days. But the second he is with me, I just want to be with him. I want to give him all my attention. _

_He is everything. Nothing else in the world exists but his smile. I feel like he is taking up all my time and I haven't yet decided if that's a good or bad thing. _

_A friend of mine however has brought up a strange new subject to me that I don't know how to approach. To be dominant or submissive? I never thought of it. It was never a problem or a thing that needed thinking. But now I'm not so sure. I had hoped it would just be a mutual thing. Something that could be shared because I don't believe either of us falls into either category. I didn't think it was that important. _

_I'm not sure how to approach it though. Obviously, my friend who brought it up isn't the one to ask and I'm not sure I'm comfortable enough with him to ask him either. I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. _

_Lost...lost...lost...'_

...

Going back home was eventful. Apparently Sakura and pig face, Ino, had already had a run in. They butted heads instantly like most girls do. Except, instead of being quiet and sneaky about it, these two publicly and loudly 'threw the mud'.

"She's so rude! I mean, she was all cute and smiles with the guys and Tsunade but... oh, Naruto, you really should have heard her talking in the break room! It was horrible! She has the mentality of a 14 year old!" my pink haired friend rambled on. She didn't give me a chance to put in a word so I just drove us home, nodding and putting in a 'oh really?' once in a while. We went to the diner, picked up my usual dinners, chatted with Suki, and then headed home.

Sai was back home by the time we got there and Sakura was still chattering away about Ino-Pig, as she had taken to calling her. Sai unfortunately made the mistake of asking her what was wrong. While she unloaded onto him, I took the opportunity to set out the food in the kitchen. After that, I slipped by the living room and to the bathroom.

I always enjoy my food more after I'm clean and relaxed. Especially now, after meeting Ino. I needed this shower to make me feel better. Washing and shampooing never takes long. The longest part of my shower is just standing there after you're clean and just enjoying the water. That's also the _best_ part of my shower.

I closed my bright cobalt blue eyes and sighed, leaning forward into the water. It was always so calming and fresh. It felt like I was washing away the grime and dirt from the world. Every time I showered, I was starting new. Sounds weird, huh?

Anyways, I figured I was in there long enough so I climbed out and towelled off. Wrapping the towel around my waist, I carried my dirty clothes to my bedroom. I could hear Sakura still prattling on about this and that so I assumed Sai was still in there listening. I closed my door and tossed my clothes in the hamper and dropped myself onto my bed. Sprawling out on my bed after a shower was sometimes the greatest feeling. Feeling the tension and stress just melt away. I shivered from the cool air hitting my warm, wet skin but I didn't mind.

Now that I was here, I felt so sleepy. I just wanted to curl up under the covers and sleep away for the next 3 days. The stress was gone but the exhaustion was weighing me down. I couldn't stop myself from sighing heavily and closing my eyes. So relaxing. Nothing but the sound of my breathing and the distant chatter of the TV and Sakura. So sleepy... I wasn't even hungry enough to will myself out of bed to eat.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed. I didn't really care. I was comfy and warm and that's all that mattered. Somewhere along the lines, my towel had shifted and become loose but I was covered and that was good enough for me.

I started day dreaming. A dark blue sky lit with thousands of stars, the wind blowing cool, making leaves tear themselves from the trees and blow across my path. I walked alone, hands in my jean pockets, my leather coat on. It smelled like Sai. Not sure why. But as I walked down a gravel path in the woods, the smell of Sai grew stronger and stronger like I was getting closer to him. My nose was really sensitive so I picked up on it from a long way off.

I kept walking. Dark blue grew brighter in the sky till it looked like orange and blue were battling for the sky.

I came into a clearing. Flowers grew in the small field, red, yellow, white, blue, purple, littering the green clearing with beautiful, brilliant splashes of colour. The grass was long, the ground was soft, the birds called out and there was little wind to disturb the peace. I moved to the center of the clearing and spread my arms out, palms and face upturned to the sun.

There was Sai's scent again. Overwhelming my senses. He smelled like Old Spice body wash and his own scent that reminded me of the beaches on the sea. His scent mingled with the scent of the forest and wind. Though his overrode all other smells like he was right in front of me. I didn't open my eyes but I reached out to touch him and he was there. I felt his warm chest against the palms of my hands. I could feel his clothing rustling as I moved my hands down his arms, around his waist to his back. My fingers trembled and tingled as I pulled up the back of his shirt and slid my hands up against his back.

His skin was so firm, his scent intoxicating. For a moment, gender didn't matter. For a moment, everything was perfect as he moved closer to me and breathed heavily on the sensitive skin of my neck. I shivered. For a moment, it felt right. It felt the same as when I kissed him on the cliff.

"N-Naruto?"

I still didn't open my eyes but I frowned. The Sai in my dream didn't_ feel_ like he wanted me to stop; he was leaning into my touch and pressing against my body. So why did his voice sound uncertain? Regardless, I pressed on, moving my hands down his sides to the waist of his pants. Inexplicably, I tensed. I didn't understand but... I thought I was getting quite turned on. I could feel the tension coiling in my gut and the heat rushing to my groin.

And still, gender didn't seem to bother me. With my eyes closed and not thinking of the details, it really didn't bother me much. Feeling timid but curious, I slipped my fingers just into the hem of his pants and I got a startled gasp, a tensing of stomach muscles and his skin heating up in response to my touches.

"Naruto!"

I didn't want to open my eyes to ruin the moment but the urgency in his voice... I slowly willed my eyes open. They felt glued shut but I pried them open anyways.

There was Sai. I was still touching him but we were no longer standing in that clearing where orange and blue battled for the sky and the grass and flowers coloured the world. No. I was lying in my bed, still somewhat covered by my towel with Sai hovering over me on his hands and knees.

It took me a moment to register that I wasn't in my dream touching Sai... I had been smelling and touching the _real_ Sai here in my bedroom... I glanced down and saw his shirt untucked. The look on his face was confusion but also... there was a deep burn in his eyes... a deep longing. Hunger.

I felt my cock jump in excitement and I went rigid with horror. I was hard! I couldn't believe it! I had gotten hard, thinking about Sai! I pulled my hands back as fast as I could and pulled my towel tighter around my waist hoping he hadn't noticed my humiliation.

"S-Sai! What are you doing?" I nearly shouted, my heart hammering painfully, my mind panicking.

I didn't know what to make of this... I didn't even know what I was thinking or feeling right now. It was... I mean... this was a first for me!

"Naruto, you... didn't come back... I came to check on you and uhm..." he glanced down at his untucked shirt and my towel-covered problem. My face flushed so bad I could feel my ears and neck burn.

"This isn't... it's not what... I..._shit_," I covered my face with my hands and hit my head back against the pillow. What was _wrong with me!_ I was beyond embarrassed and confused right now. I was horrified. Nervous. Guilty. Timid. Sorry...

"I'm so, so sorry, Sai... I don't know what's wrong with me," I mumbled, feeling close to hyperventilating. I moved to sit up and get dressed for bed but Sai wouldn't move from straddling my body. His head was hanging down so I couldn't see his face at all and I couldn't bear not knowing what he was thinking about. "Sai?"

He looked back up at me and his eyes were lit, burning like black fire, his face looked like he was unsure, in pain but still determined. "Were you...did you dream about me?" he asked, his voice strained, like he was holding something back.

I didn't look at him directly; I averted my gaze but nodded coyly. He let out a breath like he was holding it in. "Why are you embarrassed about it?" he asked softly.

Clenching my teeth, I didn't want to answer but it was rude to _not_ tell him... I mean, I kind of half molested him... "I... I don't know... It was... new? I don't know what to think," I admitted reluctantly.

"Is it really so bad?"

I looked at him finally and realized with guilt that I was hurting his feelings. By being unsure and horrified by thinking about him, it probably hurt him. That his boyfriend was scared to think about him intimately. I felt like an ass but I also felt super uncomfortable. Talking about stuff like this was just not something I was used to either...

"No... No, Sai it's nothing against you at all... I just... don't know where I'm at right now..."

"How will you ever know if you never try?"

I closed my mouth and stared at him for a long time. I was still embarrassed as hell, still trying to hide my erection, but now I was thinking. _Was _it really so bad? It was natural to be attracted to your significant other, wasn't it? It still felt... weird though.

"You're afraid still," he noted quietly, not moving his eyes from mine.

I nodded.

"Gender?"

I nodded again.

"What if I could make it so gender didn't matter?" he suggested.

I frowned. "How?" My heart dared lift a little with hope.

He chewed his lip for a moment and glanced back down at the space between us then back at me. Cheeks flushing almost as bad as mine, he leaned forward and kissed me softly, pressing his lips shakily against mine. He waited for me to respond and I did, just as gentle and unsure as him but willing. He sighed against me and his black eyes fluttered shut.

Hesitantly, I closed mine and wrapped my arms loosely around his neck. He pressed eagerly closer to me and pushed into the kiss. Soon, we were panting and eager. I had forgotten why I was embarrassed. I forgot why I was shy and flustered. I just wanted more of his hungry kisses. I wanted his tongue to dance with my own. I wanted our panting and the frantic beating of our hearts to be the only sound.

My tanned fingers were buried in his silky black hair, he held himself up on one arm by my shoulder as his free hand roamed my body hungrily. He touched and grabbed and scratched and pressed into every curve, dip and rise of my torso. When his hot fingers ghosted over my nipple I gasped and arched slightly, my skin tingling with new sensations. _More_, my body begged, _more._

His fingers moved down my stomach and teased my tense muscles. His hot mouth moved from my wet lips to my jaw, nipping down to my collarbone. I let out a soft sigh/moan, tightening my grip on his hair but he didn't complain. He bit me and licked the shell of my ear and nibbled my jaw, making me squirm deliciously under him.

I was absolutely melting. There was so much going on and my body was on fire that I didn't know which way was up or down. All my instincts were just screaming for more and I didn't want to suppress that. I _wanted_ more. I _wanted_ to have all his attention.

Feeling excited, I could feel my cock jump again, telling me that I wasn't paying it enough attention. I hissed and scrunched up my face, trying to will the problem away. I didn't want Sai to stop what he was doing.

Sai must have noticed though because he paused in his roaming to look down at me with raging, hungry eyes. That sent another shiver of excitement up my spine and straight to my groin. I grunted at that feeling of electric energy but I locked my hazy eyes with his. What was he thinking? What did he want? He licked his lips and quickly glanced down eagerly.

Then he smashed his lips against mine again in a flurry of daring excitement. Kisses flew wildly. He kissed his way down my neck to my chest and I gripped his shoulders tightly. Then he suddenly encased one of my nipples with his hot, wet mouth and experimentally ran his tongue over the sensitive bud and I instantly gasped and arched into him.

I could feel my towel fall away from my waist and I was momentarily embarrassed and nervous but I was soon too focused on that sinful mouth to care. He moved between my legs and kept going, his free hand now roaming my naked body entirely, but he was careful to avoid my erection. He massaged my thighs, calves, brushed over my inner thighs but never my mid section.

His mouth moved, leaving wet kisses across my chest as he moved to my other nipple to pay it the same attention. Again, I arched into him. Again, my cock jumped. I felt hopelessly lost. This moment, this place in time... I wanted to freeze it. I wanted to feel this excited and hungry forever. I wanted to be hot and sweating and panting and perfectly careless.

Reckless.

It didn't take long for us to get pushed to the edge, where we needed more. We needed that extra little mile to get to the finish. But as his hand made its way slowly to my cock I tensed. I tensed and panicked, pushing at his shoulders.

He stopped immediately and moved his hand away. He looked at me, his eyes calm and patient and waiting. They said, it's ok. Talk to me.

I took a ragged breath and tried to convey my feelings back, replying, I am scared. Tell me what to do.

He smiled gently, You only do what you're comfortable with. What you _want_ to do.

"I'm not ready," I whisper, feeling guilty as I spoke those words. But his smile did not falter, his eyes were not disappointed.

"Ok." He moved off of me and covered me back up with my towel but never looked down. His eyes never left mine. I gratefully stood and stretched my tired muscles. I wasn't sure what to do about my erection so I went back to the bathroom for a quick breather. I could think more clearly if I wasn't around him.

Well...I hope I didn't make that awkward.

What was I thinking! Was any of that even ok? What was I doing, letting something like that happen? That was scary. It was exhilarating. It was upsetting. It was stimulating. Shameful. Inspiring. Provocative. Powerful.

Ok, ok, ok, I'm not exactly helping myself here. I needed to calm down. I turned the shower back on but to cold water and hopped in just long enough to settle down my roaring nerves and pulsing problem. Once I was shivering and no longer thinking of the heat, I crawled out, covered up in my towel and made my way slowly back to the bedroom.

I sincerely hoped Sai wouldn't be upset or think I didn't like him. I started panicking slightly. Nervous and unsteady, I opened the door and peeked in. Sai was already undressed and tucked in, eyes closed. Gratefully, I grabbed a clean pair of boxers and slipped them on before slipping into bed next to Sai.

I was tense for the longest time, thinking. I replayed everything in my mind, my memory extremely vivid and clear, but I only worried about one thing. What was he thinking?

"Go to sleep, Naruto. You're thinking too much," he murmured, not sounding tired at all. For some reason, that made me feel even worse. Now I couldn't sleep at all. I rolled over and stared at the back of his head for the longest time.

"What are you thinking?"

"How sexy you look when you're turned on," he said and I could hear the smirk in his voice. My face flushed again. I wasn't sure what to say to that. It made me think of everything again and I recall how he looked. He looked hungry, ravenous, wanting nothing more than to touch and devour and please me. Knowing that sent a massive shiver down my spine.

I rolled away again and grit my teeth. Unfortunately, to my great discomfort, he rolled over with me and wrapped his arms around me and tangled his legs with mine. "Don't worry yourself sick, Naruto. You aren't ready. I already told you I'd wait. Please just take your time and trust me," he whispered against my back.

That made me feel better. Or, enough to make me relax enough to stop thinking so I could sleep.

Sleeping, however, wasn't much better. I don't remember falling asleep but I do remember dreaming.

The dream was a repeat of what we had done. The intensity, the heat, the panting, the trails of fire left in the wake of his hot fingers. How hard and wanting I had been. How ready I was to just give in to the sinful temptation of pleasure. A pleasure I knew only he could give me. But it didn't stop where we did. My dream kept going, showing me what I could have had if I had gone with it. It was so odd, but so realistic. I could feel his fingers, searing my skin with intensity. His touch, his mouth, his eyes, everything was so seductive and overwhelming.

It's strange to describe but I suddenly felt like I wanted him. I wanted to hug him to me and somehow pull him inside my skin so we would never have to be apart. I wanted him to be a part of me. I wanted him close to me all the time.

I woke up with another erection, sweat soaked sheets, my pillow clutched painfully in my fists and my blanket kicked off. I looked over at Sai and I was extremely grateful to find him sleeping peacefully beside me. Thank God. I crawled from the bed and grabbed some clean clothes. Sneaking into the bathroom, I changed quickly and got ready for work. I tried to ignore the extremely uncomfortable bulge in my pants as I got my lunch and stuff ready.

By the time I was ready to go, Sakura had woken up and started getting ready to go as well. I was slightly fine by then. So I walked back to my room to grab my wallet, keys and jacket.

That was a mistake though. When I walked in, Sai had sprawled out over the bed but he had migrated to my side that had the sheets kicked off. One arm was resting up by his scrunched up face, the other was thrown across the bed, one of his legs was bent up and the other was bent to the side. It was kind of cute because that was the kind of thing I used to do as a kid.

But when Sai did it, it looked so sexy and open, like an invitation to crawl on him and touch. I looked away, fighting back my second erection of the day. I grabbed my stuff and ran out as quietly as I could.

Sakura and I headed to work in silence but she had a silly grin on her face. I, however, did _not_ want to ask; the second I opened that door, it would be never ending. I just wanted a peaceful day at work without being bothered about what I _wasn't_ doing with Sai.

It didn't work though. It never does. Not for me.

I was working hard at my desk, trying everything and anything to get Sai and last night out of my head when I got a text message.

'_So, last night... what are your thoughts?'_

I damn near dropped my phone. I glanced around to make sure I had no snooping neighbours before I replied hastily.

'_Uh...I don't know yet...'_

I closed my phone and hid my face in my hands, feeling lost yet again in this vast, untamed sea. My phone vibrated again.

'_Well, you can't not like it. You had a hard on this morning too. You can't hide from it forever, you know?'_

I sighed heavily and hit my head against my desk. He was right. I _can't_ hide from this. I had agreed to date Sai. And dating is all about getting to know one another and accepting them and being intimate. If I were going to stay with Sai, I _had_ to get over this hump. I felt like I was avoiding it and perhaps I was. I was just so scared though. It's still too new. Too foreign. I still liked women. I still thought I was straight.

Fairly straight...somewhat...kind of...

Well, I can't be if Sai turns me on. Maybe I should just let him try and trust him not to hurt me. Everyone had to face their fears at one point or another. Sai faced his with his foster parents. If he could do that, I'm sure I could try...you know..._that_ with Sai...

'_I know I can't hide. I'm sorry for being so rude but I'm afraid. How did you know I was hard this morning?'_

Kind of a lame text but that's all I could think of.

"Naruto?"

I whirled around and hid my phone, "Ah, Suigetsu? What's up?"

"What's up with your face, man? You've been blushing and staring at your computer for ten minutes. Something going on at home, hmm?" he teased, his sharp teeth glinting as he smirked.

"Nothing that's your business. What do you want?" I snapped, feeling defensive.

His smile widened but he didn't pursue the subject further which I was thankful for yet super annoyed with. "I wanted to invite you and your boy toy for drinks Friday night. 3 days notice so you can talk it over with your wife," he winked and walked off, making me hate everything about the colour purple.

...

Well, another day, another chapter! Thanks to the few who reviewed my last chapter (all 4 of you).

A special thanks though to **PandoraMagic**. I like hearing stuff like this. It really makes me think I'm going in the right direction and doing the right thing. Thanks so much!

Anyways, enjoy this new installment of Missundaztood and please, as always, **READ AND REVIEW!**

**Love you all,**

**TLC**


	10. But Are You Catching All These Tracks

**Missundaztood**

Chap 10 – But Are You Catching All These Tracks

"So do you wanna go?" I asked timidly. Sai and I haven't exactly finished our conversation from earlier and for some inexplicable reason, I was trying to avoid it at all costs. So I thought inviting him for drinks with the people from work would give me enough time to think and postpone the inevitable.

"Sure, sounds fun. You said this Friday?"

"Yes," unfortunately for me, it was still Tuesday.

"We should go shopping," he says suddenly with a small smile.

I had to stare at him for a moment. Shopping? "Why?" I didn't understand. My clothes were just fine. Granted I've had them for a few years; I've never really been interested in buying new stuff for myself.

His smile grew wider, "For new clothes of course. Your wardrobe is terribly outdated and I'd like some new civilian clothes too."

"Are you crazy? My clothes are fine and I don't have the money to just go out and buy new clothes all the time!" I insisted.

"You don't, but I do," he grinned.

So I wound up driving us to the local mall. With reluctance of course. I _hate_ _it_ when people buy me stuff. Seriously. I don't know if it's because I'm fiercely independent or I just have a lot of pride or something, but I honestly hate people buying me things. I hate birthday presents, Christmas presents, any occasion that calls for gift giving. It makes me feel obligated to give something back. Most of the time I don't have the money to do that either so I feel indebted.

I really don't understand why; that's just how I am.

So when Sai hauled me into an expensive men's clothing store and I saw the price tag on the first shirt I saw, I tried to walk out. I'm used to shopping at cheap stores, thrift stores, bargain shops... it's not that bad. I found decent clothing. I just couldn't justify spending $89.99 on a t-shirt I could buy at Wal-Mart or elsewhere for $10. What was the point in spending that much?

But Sai seemed to think that was perfectly normal and fine. Like he did this every week. Well... for all I knew about him, he did. Then it kind of hit me; I don't really know a lot of personal stuff about Sai. The sadder fact? He knew next to nothing about me.

I mean, considering how much time we have spent together, he has never asked me any questions about me really aside from what I do for work.

I've already learned a lot of things about him from magazines and interviews. But what did I really know about him? He was perverted. He liked watching mystery shows on TV. He liked sweet drinks but bland foods. He had a nervous habit of chewing his lip and a defensive gesture of shoving his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders.

I didn't know his favourite colour. I didn't know his favourite food, favourite movie, favourite actor, animal, song, artist, book, nothing. I didn't know the important stuff. Or was it important? If he was anything like me, he wouldn't have a favourite. I find things come and go so fast that my tastes change constantly with time. I could like country music one day and hard rock the next. I could love the colour blue then love purple. Mood, situation, place, circumstance, memory...

I never stay on one thing for long; I just like too many things to pick.

But that's just me.

"Try these on," Sai shoved a few pairs of jeans and shirts in my arms.

"All of them?" I looked down at my load of fabric and wondered why I was there. I guess my questions would have to wait.

"Yes. And you have to come out and show me everything," his pale hands pushed me eagerly towards the fitting rooms. I had no choice but to comply. I stumbled into the little square room and dropped the pile of clothes onto the little bench.

Really? I ran my fingers through my blonde hair and huffed before pulling my comfortable worn clothes off. A moment later, a few actually; the new jeans were extremely tight, I grimaced at my image in the mirror and exited to show Sai.

The moment he saw me though, his black eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "What?" I asked, my cheeks starting to burn uncomfortably. Did I forget to do up the fly? I resisted the urge to look down.

"Naruto... why don't you wear tight clothes more often?" he asked breathlessly, moving closer to me.

"It's uncomfortable and restricting...I feel like I can't breathe," I complained, picking at the tight white and blue t-shirt that was clinging to my form like a second skin. How could the hipsters and teenagers wear these things? Adding tight jeans with no room _at all_ for my manly parts... I just couldn't do that every day.

"But it's so _sexy_," he breathed. His eyes were glued to me and, to be honest, I kind of liked it. I don't think anyone has ever looked at me like that before. Total admiration.

"Dude, totally you," a guy working the change rooms said. He was staring at me almost as bad as Sai was. I blushed harder. I didn't think I looked that good but if my boyfriend approves and I turned a straight guy gay by looking at me then it must look good?

"Ok..." I backed into the change room again to switch outfits. By the time I showed Sai all the clothes he picked out for me, there was practically a puddle of drool on the floor. He even went out and grabbed more clothes for me to try. At the end, he ended up buying everything I tried on and I would cry if I told you how much the total came to. My hate was radiating from me but Sai didn't care. He ignored it. He was as happy as a friggin clam to buy me all these silly outfits.

We went into a few more stores and I was waiting for him to try things on but he barely picked anything out for himself. A new pair of jeans, a nice shirt and some new shoes but he spent a majority of his money on me. I had trouble carrying all the bags through the stupid mall. We stopped in the food court and had dinner before continuing on our long and arduous journey.

"Sai, are you really sure all this is ok? I mean, this is a lot of money... I don't think I'll ever be able to pay you back..." I groaned, adding up the grand total in my head. It would take me _years_ of monthly instalments to pay him back...

"Don't worry about it Naruto," he smiled. But his tone was off. Serious.

"This is too much!" I repeated for about the hundredth time.

"It's rude to refuse a gift more than once you know," he retaliates. Touché.

With a heavy sigh, I had no choice but to comply with his over spending on me. Finally, when the mall started closing, he deemed it a good time to go home. I had trouble loading all the bags into my little truck. Thankfully though, it provided enough talk for us so that we never came close to discussing our prior issues.

However, getting home and sorting through all my new clothes gave me more time on my hands than I liked and there was a silence that slipped between us. My heart pounded painfully with tension, wondering who would be the first to bring it up. Was I ready?

"So? Do you like all your new clothes?" Sai finally asked, coming up behind me.

"Of course. I really appreciate it but you make me feel guilty...I could never do anything like this for you," I admitted, feeling ashamed. But I should have seen something like this coming. I mean, I'm dating a famous actor/singer/dancer who was probably a multimillionaire. Buying all this was probably nothing more than pocket change for him.

"You don't need to buy me things to make me happy, Naruto," his voice lowered in tone. There was that seriousness that I heard earlier.

"You don't need to buy me things to make _me _happy either..." I growled grumpily.

He chuckled quietly, "Naruto, you do more for me by just being you than you ever would by buying me things."

I turned to face him and he was almost glaring at me. Carefully, I leaned back against the edge of my bed and crossed my arms, staring back at him.

Silence.

Who was going to talk first? Who was going to breech that touchy subject? Could I hold it in? Could I keep myself together?

"How are you so confident?!" I finally burst out.

Apparently not...

Sai frowned but didn't say anything. Waiting for me to continue. "How can you just... not second guess yourself? How can you look so perfect and buy me all these things and not expect anything in return? You just... what are you doing?" I blabbered hopelessly, letting my thoughts spill out. It felt good but it was still terrifying at the same time.

"Naruto... this is new to you, right? I know you are probably the type that hates charity but this isn't charity... people show affection in different ways." He smiled and moved to stand between my legs. I regarded him coolly but inside I could kind of see his point. "You show affection by being supportive and caring and kind. Like with Yesung and his family. You show them affection by giving them attention and time. With Sakura, you gave her a great friend and a happy home. With me... you just gave me you and I couldn't ask for more."

My jaw dropped a bit. Not only was that the most I ever heard him say at one time but it was actually true. Every word he said I couldn't deny. I did show affection in my own way. Sai just must have his own ways of showing affection and I may not agree with it but that was just what he did. I couldn't argue with that.

I smiled, uncrossed my arms and pulled him into a tight hug. I closed my blue eyes and sighed, nuzzling into his neck slightly to show my appreciation. His arms wrapped around me and he melted into my touch. Suddenly, a feeling of peace and realization hit me. Sai and I had found a mutual understanding on another level. We understood each other and it unlocked yet another door for me to open and explore.

I would never take advantage of his generosity, of course, but now at least I understood why he did things and what they were for. I may not always agree but I can accept it for what it is.

…

The next morning I woke up early. It didn't happen often; when I woke up before my alarm clock went off. When it does happen though, I can never get back to sleep and there was usually a good reason. So I reached over and turned off my alarm clock and took note of where Sai was in my bed. I was on my side, as usual, one arm under my pillow and with blankets draped loosely around my waist. Sai was pressed against me, sound asleep.

He had told me last night that he just got another offer for a movie and he was interested in it. I didn't know much other than he had to go to a screening/practice shoot today. I was glad he was starting to get out a little more now. He needed the new social interaction; he was starting to get so bored at home.

I slip out of bed easily and grab some clothes, some new ones he bought me yesterday, and went into the bathroom to change. Then, heading into the kitchen, I decide I should make breakfast for everyone this morning. I set about making a healthy breakfast. As I cooked, my tired brain started to catch up with me and it started reminding me that I needed to speak with Sai.

But before I did that, I needed to have a good debate with myself. I scratch at my eyebrow, feeling the small scar there from my fight with Amako. How did I feel about everything so far? I've known Sai now for almost 2 months but only, truly, been dating the man for 9 days. Wow… not a lot when you think about it.

In that time, I've been accused of kidnapping and almost lost my job, I've taken a beating from his abusive, former, adoptive mother in Korea, I've been on TV with him, I've been in interviews, I've had Sakura and Sai both move in with me in my home, I've been harassed, I've been threatened, I've been feeling emotions I've never felt before, I've been thinking differently…

And still my biggest struggle was getting used to the fact that I was dating a man. I mean, I still loved women, no doubt about it. They were gorgeous creatures. But as of late, being with Sai is bending the very fabric of my beliefs. I _knew_ I liked women and I _knew_ I liked Sai. But the difference and complexity between those two was substantial. Was it just that I liked Sai because I was dating him and I was with him all the time and had idolized the man for years? Was it just that I liked Sai for who he was or did I actually have gay tendencies?

Because I liked Sai did that mean I liked other men too? Or was it just Sai? I didn't know. I mean, at work I've never thought of any of the guys being _hot_ or _sexy_ or anything… I never had the thought of 'Oh, I wanna date that guy' or 'I would totally tap that'. So what in the hell was I? Was I straight? Gay? Bisexual? There were so many terms that I didn't know the definition to. I had to have _something_ gay about me because I had a wet dream about him and I also got _so_ hard with excitement while he was kissing me…

I started plating everything and getting it ready to be devoured when I heard soft footsteps down the hall. With a gentle smile on my face, I waited to see who it was who woke up first. When I saw the tufts of pink hair sticking up everywhere, I grinned and handed my best friend her plate of food.

"Good morning sunshine!" I announce cheerfully.

Usually grumpy in the mornings, Sakura grunted at me, took the plate of food and sat down at the kitchen table. She started eating without any other acknowledgement and that was fine with me. I was used to it. I set a cup of fresh coffee down in front of her and wandered off to the bedroom to wake up Sai. Sai was sprawled across the bed cutely, his dark blue boxer briefs showing. I sat on the edge of the bed and ran my tanned fingers through his silky short black hair.

He moaned softly and scrunched up his pale face before opening one inky black eye and looking up at me. I smiled widely and brushed my fingers through his hair again, "Good morning, Sai."

A tiny smile crossed his pink lips and my heart swelled in my chest. I knew he reserved his real smiles for me and I was ok with that. I was glad I was the only one who could make him smile like that… I loved being the reason he smiled and felt happy. "I made breakfast. Come eat before it gets cold." I kept brushing my fingers through his hair.

"I like that…" he murmured softly. I tilted my head slightly to the side in question and he smiled again. "You touching me like this… I like it."

Blushing softly, I smiled and stood. "Come eat."

…

Sakura and I drove to work a short while later. My pink haired friend was in a better mood since she had her coffee and time to wake up. We chatted quietly until we pulled into work. Getting inside and getting situated at our desks, I was bitterly and rudely reminded that we had hired Pig-Face to work with us…

A note sat on Sakura's desk in perfect, scrawling handwriting and we both knew instantly who it was from.

'_October 25_

_To: Haruno-San_

_Subject: Written Warning_

_You are being issued this written warning for failure to maintain regular and satisfactory attendance as well as failing to comply with Department Standards. This is in violation of Classified Staff Policy #401, Rules of Conduct, and #205, specifically:_

_1. Absence without legitimate excuse and/or failure to follow departmental notification procedures._

_2. Chronic or repeated absenteeism resulting in failure to perform assigned duties or impairment of the operation of the work unit._

_3. Failing to adhere to the standards enforced by your Systems Manager, Yamanaka Ino._

_I am giving you this written warning because during the past six months you have failed to follow the department call in procedures on 3 occasions in the last month. You also had an unexcused absence on Tuesday October 3. As a result of your conduct, the department has missed 10 scheduled deadlines._

_On Monday October 23, you received a verbal warning regarding your attendance and Department Standards._

_This is your opportunity to correct your unsatisfactory performance and/or behavior. I need someone to successfully fulfill the duties of their position and I hope that is you. In order for your performance/behavior to be considered satisfactory, you must achieve and maintain the previously described._

_Failure to adhere to the conditions of this written warning, development of new or related problems, and/or continued unsatisfactory performance will lead to more serious corrective action up to and including discharge._

_Should you need counseling or help with these issues, please seek out the help of our onsite Psychiatrist, Shizune-San located on the second floor. _

_Sincerely,_

_Yamanaka Ino_

_Systems Manager for KAS Studios'_

Sakura and I were both appalled. What the hell was this woman's problem? Sakura immediately took it to Tsunade to fight against it. It was ridiculous! That day, the 3rd, was when Sakura had moved out of Sasuke's place and she wasn't absent, she came in late with me! And what "Department Standards" wasn't she complying with!? What _bullshit_ was this she-devil spewing!? Garbage! Rubbish! Drivel! Why, I had a mind to go give that model pig a good talking to!

I was surprised to see that there was no note on my desk even though I had probably taken more days off or came in late more often than Sakura did. A stroke of good luck, I thought. I settled at my computer with a sigh and tried to get some work done. Poor Sakura…

…

Sakura went to a friend's house after work so I headed home alone. I had been texting Sai all day and he said he had some interesting news for me when I got home so I was kind of excited to find out what it was. I knew he was at that screening for a new movie so I wondered if the news was somehow connected.

Pulling in at home, I climbed out of my beat up red truck and let myself into my home. My cozy, quiet, happy home. I threw my keys and jacket down on the bench I had by the front door and collapsed onto the couch. Ah… calm. With a smile, I got comfortable, stretching myself along the length of the couch and rested my arms behind my bright sunshine mop of hair and closed my sapphire eyes.

I think I needed a nap.

…

"Naruto?" a soft voice called me from my sleep. Beckoned me from my deep slumber.

I forced my sky blue eyes open and looked around. I focussed on the pale face in front of me with a smile. "Hey," I said sleepily.

He smiled back at me and ran his fingers through my hair gently. I hummed in appreciation, enjoying the touch. I could see something in his inky black eyes, something akin to longing. Want. Desire. Then I noticed that his gaze flicked from my eyes, down to my slightly parted lips and back. Suddenly feeling a bit nervous, I grin. It was still so new. It was still so fresh and thrilling. But the thought of kissing him made my heart start beating faster as it reminded me of the wet dream I had had and the make out session we had.

Close encounters. But I couldn't be shy forever. I couldn't _not_ kiss him if our relationship were to progress into anything other than friendship. So I pushed myself up onto my hands, made eye contact with him briefly, warning him, before I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his. His eyes instantly fluttered shut as he pressed back.

The contact sent a shiver down my spine and goose bumps over my skin. I flushed slightly, trying to overcome this nervousness, to overcome the coy game that had put a wall up between physical attraction and me. Kissing Sai was exciting to me. I enjoyed it. His taste, his feel, his scent, the feel of him tangling a hand in my hair and pressing his body closer to mine.

I pulled away and rested my forehead against his, looking into his hazy, satisfied eyes. "I could definitely get used to that…" he breathed. I smirk knowingly.

"So how was your day?" I asked, trying to sound casual, like my heart _wasn't_ beating a mile a minute.

He shrugged and pulled away, a gentle smile in place on his pale lips. "The screening went well. I got the part but that's what I wanted to discuss with you, Naruto." He looked at me with indecision and concern so I sat up properly, put a hand over his and quietly encouraged him to continue.

"My producers and directors asked about you," he started, avoiding eye contact with me now. With a frown, I keep listening. "They uhm… they like the way you look and like your open attitude… they would like to meet you and possibly invite you to have a part in the movie with me…" his voice wavered at the end.

I was in shock. Famous producers and directors were interested in me? They wanted me to possibly take part in a movie with Sai? Whoa… I mean, I know it's been my dream, Hell, it's _everyone's_ dream to act and become an actor and work with famous people… but… now that I had the offer in front of me, I wasn't sure I wanted it. I mean, I saw what it did to Sai… it may be _his_ world and _his_ area of expertise but was I really positive I wanted to be a part of that? Could I handle it?

"I… I don't know what to say," I finally murmured. And it's true. I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to leave my job… I knew I wasn't really going anywhere with it but I enjoyed what I was doing. I liked writing. I didn't know if I could be an actor.

"Well, you have time to think about it. They want an answer by Monday… you don't have to Naruto; don't feel pressured. You wouldn't have to quit your job, either. You would just have to take a few weeks off for filming and what not. You'd be paid well and it would open the door for more offers."

"Well, what do you think?" I asked, wanting to know if he was ok with it.

He shrugged, still not looking me in the eyes. "It's up to you, Naruto, and what you want to do. But, before you make a decision, I should tell you that it's uh… out of town…"

I frowned, "Where out of town?"

"Suna…"

Oh… Suna… I wasn't comfortable going back to Suna. Bad memories, bad town, bad people. I had no desire to ever return there. Not that Sai knew any of this and it wasn't his fault for the movie being filmed in Suna.

He must have sensed my discomfort because he glanced at me, his black brows slightly furrowed in question. I ruffled my hair; my nervous habit. "Uh… I used to live in Suna, years ago. Long story short, I left for a reason and tried never to go back… for anything… I don't think I could accept the offer," I admitted reluctantly.

He looked at me, almost through me, knowing I was avoiding the subject as vaguely as I could. I could tell he wanted to know more but he wasn't going to bother me about it. I appreciated it, though I felt bad about keeping it from him. Emotional baggage is hard to carry around. A heavy burden to struggle with. But it was my struggle. My burden. I wasn't ready to share the load yet.

"Well, it's your choice, Naruto. But I hope you realize then that I'll be away for a while…"

"Yeah, I understand," I looked away and at the TV sitting in the corner and toyed with the ring on my right hand. "You do what you gotta do, Sai. I'm not stopping you," I smiled with my blue eyes closed. I didn't want to show my sadness.

"I almost wish you would," he admitted quietly. I opened my eyes again and looked at him, intrigued. "If you said the word, Naruto, I would do anything for you… I wouldn't go. I wouldn't leave you. I'd stay with you as long as you wanted me," a light flush crossed his pale cheeks and he looked down, not daring to meet my eyes.

For a moment, I didn't understand. Wasn't that his job? To go travelling around to do movies and dances and recording his singing? Why wouldn't he want to go? Why would he want me to ask him to stay? I didn't really understand.

Until he looked at me with sad, wide, longing eyes. A realization suddenly hit me; he didn't want to leave me but didn't want to make the decision himself. He wanted to know if I wanted him around as much as he wanted to be around me.

Of course I wanted him around! Of course I wanted to spend time with him and build upon our relationship and learn. But then at the same time I also didn't want to stand in front of his career. I didn't want him to drop everything at my beck and call. I wanted him to be able to have freedom to do what he wanted, to work, to have fun without me.

I was conflicted.

"Sai, I can't tell you not to go. It's your job; your income. The choice has to be yours." My answer, to me, sounded cold and distant but I truly meant it. The choice _had_ to be his. Not mine.

"Well, yes, I understand it's my choice but I want to know your opinion. What would you like?"

I paused for a moment. If I told him my answer, would he pick it just to make me happy? Would he pick it just because I said it? Would he push his own wants out of the way just to please me? I didn't want that. I certainly wouldn't do that, as selfish as that sounds. But I was honest. If I didn't want to do something, I let people know. If I didn't like something, I let people know. I never changed my mind or my decision just to make someone else happy. Ok, that's a lie. I did sometimes if I felt maybe they were in the right or had a good point or something. But other than that! I usually did what I decided was best.

Though, I guess I just had to trust him. I just had to give my opinion and respect his decision. "I'd like you to stay."

He smiled, a real smile that made my heart flutter, and he visibly relaxed. Like he had been tense, holding his breath, waiting for my answer. His eyes softened when he looked at me and he leaned over for a kiss. I closed the distance between us and closed my eyes. The kiss was so soft. So gentle and loving. I lost myself in the feel of him. He moved closer and broke the kiss only long enough to crawl over top of me and straddle my hips. We both flushed and glanced at each other for a brief moment before he had his hands in my blonde hair and the kiss had grown in intensity.

I rested my hands on his hips and they started wandering, roaming his body on their own. They pressed into his back, into his arms, his thighs… touching every inch of him that they could reach. I could feel him tugging my hair gently and I could feel his body shaking. Whether from excitement or the strain of holding himself up, I wasn't sure.

Eventually though, we pulled apart, panting softly, faces flushed, hearts beating like the wings of a hummingbird. When his hazy eyes opened and looked at me, I could see the trust he had for me. I could see the love sparkle behind them. I could see, for a moment, everything he wanted, everything he wished for. For a moment, I felt like I was staring into his soul and seeing him for who he was. I reached a tanned hand up and cupped his soft cheek, brushing my thumb over his blush with a gentle smile.

"Hi," I said, feeling like I was seeing him for the first time.

He smiled widely, even showing teeth, and the sparkle grew. "Hi," he answered back with a whisper. His eyes pierced into mine and I felt like he was seeing me the way I was seeing him.

I felt my heart swell. But I also felt my body heat up and my mind wander to a place I wasn't sure I wanted it to go. For the Hell of it though, I didn't stop it. I wanted to see how far we could go. I wanted to see how far I could push my boundaries for this man.

Sai moved one hand to cover mine and his free hand touched my lips, brushed over my whisker scars and came to rest on my chest over my heart. I wondered briefly if he could feel it pounding under his hand. He smiled, his handsome face lit up in joy as he leaned forward to kiss me again. My hand gripped his hair. His hands were on my chest. Our lips moved together, softly. After a few moments, I could feel a hesitant, curious lick at my lips. I took a sharp breath and blushed darkly before opening my mouth and permitting his tongue.

My tongue mysteriously went to meet his. His taste was so interesting. A combination of coffee and whatever he had for lunch mixed with his own unique taste. I liked it. It was secretly thrilling, the way our tongues danced together. I curled my tongue around his, pulled away, and licked his lips quickly before going back to locking our tongues in wet, hot bliss.

I could hear and feel his panting. I could feel his body heating up at my touch, my command. It was exhilarating; to know I had this power. At some point during our make out, my hand slid up his shirt and I dug my nails in and scratched lightly down his back. Sai did the most amazing, sexiest thing I've ever seen. He gasped, moaned, arched his back and rocked his hips into mine.

Of course, I tensed up. Rocking his hips into mine with that exquisite moan awakened a fire deep in my belly. I could feel myself getting hard; I could feel the heat and tension coil in my gut and the blood starting rushing, pounding through my veins. I groaned into his mouth and, involuntarily, lifted my hips and pressed into him.

Sai gasped and his inky black eyes shot open and my own blue eyes were wide and disbelieving. We were both hard and wanting. We were both turned on and ready to go. We were grinding into each other and, I won't lie, it felt _amazing_. But then there was that other part of me that was still sending up red flags and warning me that I shouldn't go any further.

I wanted to ignore that part for the throbbing of my cock. I wanted to be touched. I wanted to be pleasured. I wanted that selfish release. I glanced down to our hips and saw the bulge in his pants, tight and wanting its release. For as wrong as I may have thought it was, it was strangely _hot_. I _wanted_ this. But I didn't. I saw my own erection fighting against the confines of my jeans. I saw how close they were together, how they pressed and seemed to fit between our bodies. My heart beat rocketed and I looked back up at Sai and licked my lips uncertainly.

I tried to convey my struggle to him through my eyes. I said, I don't know… I don't know how far this should go.

He said, Be strong, don't be afraid, but don't force yourself either.

I weakened under his gaze. I didn't know how to get over the gender…

He says he knows. He understands. He wouldn't push. I believed him. But could I get over it enough to let this happen? I still didn't know how… I needed more time.

"S-Sai, I…" I didn't know what to say.

"It's ok, Naruto… I'll wait," he said with a small smile. I could tell I disappointed him and that made me feel guilty but I couldn't help it. I just wasn't ready yet. "Don't be afraid to tell me to stop, ok? But we are clearly making progress," he grinned pervishly as he pushed his erection against mine.

I blushed darkly and hissed as the fabric rubbed the sensitive flesh.

"Hah, Sai… Th-that's not nice," I whispered. That wasn't fair… I was so turned on, so full of want and desire and now I was denying my release… he wasn't helping at all by teasing me further.

He grinned like he wanted to keep teasing me till I gave in to him but thankfully he stopped and got off of me, sitting beside me on the couch. I groaned as I pushed myself up, my cock pressing almost painfully against my jeans. I stood, adjusted my pants and boxers and headed for the bathroom with a wild blush on my face. I made sure I closed the door behind me before turning on the shower and stripping down. I waited till the water warmed up before jumping in and gritting my teeth against the hot water.

What has gotten into me? This wasn't normal for me at all. Being attracted to a man. It was so wrong. It was gross; how could it ever work out? But… then it was breathtaking, spine-tingling, and _so, so _sexy…He really was beautiful. Admirable. He was talented and famous.

And he was all mine. How could I _not_ be attracted to that? How could I not be attracted to Sai? His sad, inky black eyes, his soft, black hair, his perfect smile, the silky, pale skin over his toned muscles…

Ugh, I really wasn't helping myself here… I glanced down, embarrassed, at my straining erection. Unfortunately, there were very few ways of getting rid of it. And, figuring because I had denied myself any pleasure for the last while, I chose the obvious solution of "finishing the job".

With my heart still hammering away in my chest, I gripped my shaft and started stroking. I tried to picture a sexy woman. I tried to picture a curvy, sensual woman with her full, bright red lips around me. I tried to picture something, anything, but thoughts of Sai kept ruining it. Soon, I couldn't keep him out of my mind at all. Soon, I was picturing those gorgeous, black eyes looking down at me, his fingers running over my body, through my hair, his mouth over my skin, his hand on my member.

I could feel the heat searing through me, I could feel the tension coiling in my gut almost painfully, I could feel his body still pressed against mine. I climaxed with a stifled grunt; I was _not_ going to let him hear me. I stood there under the flow of water, my breathing slowly going back to normal, as it washed away my guilty pleasure.

I wasn't sure what to make of that. I wasn't sure how I felt about jacking off to the image of Sai. How was I supposed to feel? I didn't know. And none of my friends would know either. I couldn't ask them for advice or help. I couldn't even come close to getting them to relate to my problem. They were all straight and always have been. Sai was the only one I could talk to and yet he was a part of my problem so I couldn't talk to him about it.

So where did that leave me?

I climbed out of the shower, towelled off and went to my room to get dressed. One day at a time. That's all I could do is just try to handle it one day, one situation at a time.

…

**OK! It's been a while, yeah? My apologies. But you can thank my girlfriend for that. She has been helping me re-acquaint myself with my passion and inspiration to write again. **

**So anyways, Woohoo! Progress in the relationship! How exciting! I hope you all are still enjoying it and I REALLY hope it still makes sense and is relatable. I'm trying very hard to keep it realistic. **

**Thank you to the very few who have reviewed my last chapter. I appreciate the enthusiasm and the support so this chapter is for you guys **

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Lots of love,**

**TLC**


	11. That I'm Laying Down For You?

**Missundaztood**

Chap 11 – That I'm Laying Down For You?

Friday rolled around and I somehow managed to avoid any other awkward conversations. Though, I was really starting to feel bad. I mean, we had been teasing each other playfully, making out, touching, grinding…I have been relieving myself in the shower… So what was Sai doing? How was he coping with waiting for me? I wondered how frustrated he was getting. I know first hand that there is only so much a guy can take before he's pushed to his limits.

I wondered where Sai's limit was. Yet still, he confirmed over and over that he was content to wait. That he didn't want me to be uncomfortable. And over and over again, I insisted he tell me his thoughts and feeling regarding this. Our relationship was still really new and I didn't want to go too far too fast. Then at then same time, I didn't know if maybe I was going too slowly.

How do you know?

I wanted desperately to please him and give him what he was looking for but then my insecurities would flare and I would get scared of the thought and so push it out of my mind. I couldn't do that forever, though. I needed to face this.

Friday, after work, I went home to change for the bar. I picked out a pair of faded blue denim tight jeans, a light blue undershirt with a white long sleeved shirt over it with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. Then I picked a nice pair of blue high-tops. Then, of course I donned my worn leather jacket.

Sai, being famous as he was, wanted to go as inconspicuous as possible. He didn't want the attention. He picked a pair of black skinny jeans, a grey t-shirt and original converse shoes. Then he spiked his hair a little for some flair. I eyed him up. He looked damn sexy. Even trying to blend in and be normal, he stood out. He was so gorgeous. He just had a natural beauty that made you look at him, regardless of what he was wearing.

He pulled on a black sweater and looked at me apprehensively. "How do I look?"

I grinned, licked my lips tentatively, and said the first thing that came to my mind, "Hot."

He grinned knowingly and moved closer to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and looking up at me with fire in his eyes. "You sure you wanna go drinking with me? It could be a dangerous thing," he hinted.

Blushing darkly, I kissed his forehead and cleared my throat, "I trust you…"

"You shouldn't," he joked and kissed me before pulling away and heading for the front door. Suddenly, I was nervous. Was he actually kidding? I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.

"Naruto! How is this?" Sakura called to me. Swallowing, I made my way to her room and peeked in.

"Wow, Sakura, you look great! New clothes?" I asked.

She blushed lightly and nodded. My friend was wearing tight blue skinny jeans, a nice, loose light pink blouse that tucked into her jeans and a black belt. She pinned back her bangs with little blue barrettes and picked out pink flats for shoes. She looked adorable! Gorgeous!

Her clothes really accented for curvy form and made her figure stand out. Not to mention, the pale, pastel colours really emphasized her creamy skin, cool, jade eyes and pink lips and hair. Sakura really was a beautiful woman, no question about it. If she weren't my best friend, and I wasn't with Sai, I would totally pursue her.

"Wear a warm jacket, it's quite cool outside," I smiled warmly. "We will be in the truck."

She nodded and went to her closet as I headed back to the front door. After getting into my truck, I leaned over and kissed Sai on the cheek with a smile. This would be the first time we went out together to drink at a bar. A new chance to learn about him and us. I was secretly excited and wondered how it would turn out.

Sakura came out of the house in a cute white waist jacket. Sai got out and let Sakura crawl into the middle seat. There really wasn't a lot of room in my little 3-seater truck but we all fit comfortably enough as we headed to the bar. We chatted amongst ourselves, Sai asking Sakura how work went.

By the time we got there, Sakura had recounted her day in detail and then proceeded to rant about how Ino-pig had pissed her off today. Well, after getting the issue resolved about that nasty note/warning Ino had left for Sakura, the two had been causing sparks to fly through our entire department.

KAS Studios was quickly becoming a battle ground. While everyone just grit their teeth and put up with the new Systems Manager, Sakura seemed to be the only one who stood up and fought with the woman. It was mildly entertaining yet incredibly meaningless.

At the bar, we climbed out of my beat up truck and made our way inside. Immediately, we were surrounded by the loud, thrumming music of new pop/rock music, swallowed by the massive, moving crowd, and lost in the strobe lights and smoke. It was so loud; it hurt my sensitive ears and I had to squint to see through the smoke and lights. I couldn't even find Suigetsu or any of the others from work and wondered if I would ever find them.

Sakura tugged me to the bar and ordered some purple drink she called a 'Porn Star'. I ordered a beer and Sai ordered a beer too, much to my surprise. I hadn't pegged him as a beer kind of guy. I thought he was more of a rye & coke man. But he was quite content to take that first, glorious sip of beer and swallowed without making a face. Interesting.

Sakura then tugged us over to the stairs and we made our way up through the people and stood by the balcony, looking down on the central dance floor. "So we can spot Suigetsu better," she explained, yelling over the music.

We never found him. But the beat and the energy was starting to get infectious. Sakura was swaying and tapping her foot to the beat and was soon ordering another drink. She looked ready to groove and grind against some hottie so I sent her off, saying I'd find her later if I found Suigetsu. Sakura didn't need much persuading. With an excited smile, she took off, drink in hand, and lost herself in the throng of crowd swaying, writhing and bobbing away on the dance floor.

It didn't take long till she met up with a good looking guy with some interesting tattoos covering his bare arms and face. She seemed intrigued and started up a rhythm with the guy so I looked away and tried looking for Suigetsu and the others again.

Sai moved closer to me and rested a hand on my back. I didn't think much of it. I was leaning against the balcony, tapping my foot to the beat, bobbing my head, and surveying the crowd below. Then his hand wandered up to my shoulder, brushing softly over my shoulder blades, sending an exquisite shiver down my spine.

I smiled softly and kept my sapphire eyes fixed downwards, scanning the crowd for familiar faces. My mind, though, was focused on his closeness and his hand that was trailing back down my spine and lower to my waist. I swear I blushed when his hand slipped lower and he gripped my ass firmly then quickly removed his hand and placed it safely on my lower back. I was thankful for the darkness of the bar.

"Wanna dance, sexy?" I hear a female voice call to me from behind. Confused, Sai and I turned and looked behind us. There was a group of 4 girls all dressed like total sluts; short shorts, mini skirts, low cut tops, belly shirts, high heels, too much make up and poufy, rats nest hair. None of them looked familiar to me except for the one who had spoken. It was my worst nightmare; Yamanaka Ino.

Red pleated mini skirt, red belly shirt, red stiletto heels, red lipstick and her bleach blonde hair was in wavy curls around her face and hanging down over her shoulders. She looked like a stripper ready to catch herself a new rich guy who would love to blow his money on her. Bad luck for her, I'm not rich, nor am I interested in her or her friends.

"Uh, no thanks. I don't dance," I tried to shrug her off.

She certainly wasn't herself because she wasn't angry or snippy. She put on a cute, pouting smile, widened her fake blue eyes and moved closer. "Come on, you can't say no to a lady!" she insisted. Playing the flirty card, I see. Glancing over at Sai, I saw his amused grin then I looked back at her and smirked. Two could play that game.

"A lady, no. A slut, yes. But I can buy you a drink."

Her jaw dropped at my rude comment and her friends all gasped and looked offended. "Well, that's why you dressed the way you did, isn't it? You know, you can pick up a guy easily in a tank top and jeans. Dressing like that, you let guys know you're a gold-digging sex addict. Just saying," I shrugged and grabbed Sai's hand, leading him away.

I couldn't help but feel kind of bad for saying what I did. But it was true! Girls dressed like that were not attractive to me at all. But the girls in tight t-shirts or nice tank tops and some good jeans and sneakers? That was hot. Less intimidating. Casual and fun. Girls like Ino were uptight, controlling, conniving, sneaky bitches and I wanted no part in it.

"Way to go! That was hot; standing your ground like that," Sai laughed lightly and patted my back in congratulation. I flushed again and wrapped my arm around his waist, pulling him close to me for a kiss. With a wicked grin on my face and feeling emboldened, perhaps from the beer, perhaps from the rush I got from standing up to Ino, I gripped his ass and kissed him deeply, pushing my tongue into his willing mouth.

He groaned and melted into me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing into me. Feeling bold, I leaned him up against the balcony and pressed myself between his legs. Sai let out a breath and dug his nails into my shirt and back. I pulled away from the kiss and bite the sensitive skin joining his neck and shoulder, drawing a hiss from the intoxicated man.

It was exciting. I was in control and I loved it. But before either one of us got too carried away, I pulled away and licked my lips with a smirk before going to the bar and ordering 2 more drinks for us. Sai was slightly flushed and the fire in his inky eyes was ignited. He wanted me. Suddenly, I felt smug and powerful.

With cheers, I downed almost half my beer and made my way back to the balcony to look for Sakura and the others. I spotted her bright pink hair right away and noticed that she was still with that hottie with the tattoos. Hopefully she was being smart about it. I hoped she was still going to come back home with me and not her new 'friend'. We would see I guess.

Scanning the crowds, I still didn't see Suigetsu or any of the others. But now that I knew Ino was here and what she looked like, I spotted her right away too. The blonde hair and bright crimson red outfit was kind of hard to miss. Ino was a dancing with a guy wearing a suit jacket, tee shirt, ad jeans. Wow. Low standards much. He wasn't even attractive. Way to go, girl.

Just then, my Systems Manager looked up and caught me looking at her. I smirked and nodded at her, trying to come off as cool and nonchalant. Her blue eyes smouldered and burned as she looked at me and I took it as hatred as her sweet smile stayed on her painted lips. But then she did something unexpected; she winked, licked her lips, and beckoned me to her with the curl of a manicured nail. Then she turned slightly so her back was turned to me and she swayed her ass and curved her body around seductively, trying to call me to her.

Uh, that was weird. Was she high? Drunk? Or was it just the knowledge that she was with her friends and she wanted to put on a show? What was her motivation for doing this? Wondering how I should react, Sai chuckled and elbowed me encouragingly.

"She wants you, stud! Go dance with her!"

I shook my head vigorously. "No way. I don't know what her motive is… I'd rather not."

Sai smacked my ass and pushed me towards the stairs. "One dance! Just go! I want to see you call her bluff!" Well, I'm glad _someone_ was getting entertainment!

With a gut wrenching effort, I went down the stairs and made my way through the jostling crowd of the dance floor and came up behind Ino. By the time I reached her though, I had finished my beer and felt like I needed about 6 more before I should do this willingly. Regardless, I set down my empty bottle and, going with our "game", I gripped her swinging hips, pulled her against my front and started grinding her from behind.

At first, she tensed and looked back to see who was fearless enough to touch her. But when she saw me, her eyes widened and she paused before I grinned wickedly at her. Realizing our "game" was being put to the test; she loosened up, turned in my arms and faced me. But she kept a distance between us.

Ino rolled her hips sexily in my grasp and wiggled, twisted and moved, her hands roaming her body, through her hair, over my arms. She was putting on quite the show. I was keeping pace too, grinding, twisting, and moving gracefully, I hoped, to the beat and her body. At one point, when her eyes were closed, I glanced up to Sai and he was grinning madly, giving me the thumbs up. Then he made a gesture, signalling me to get closer to her. Feeling my heart pounding painfully, my nerves jumping, I growled and pulled Ino flush against my body, locking eyes with her. She looked shocked and I winked at her.

Her hands rested on my chest, her breathing coming in short gasps, her legs trembling, her eyes wide. She didn't know what to do. I didn't want to lose the game so I lowered my hands down her sides, pushing my hips into her, and leaned forward till our faces were mere millimetres apart. Wondering how far she would let me go, I slid my hands lower and lower till my hands covered the upper curve of her small ass.

I could tell she wanted to slap me and I wanted to tempt her. I would love to win this game. But there was something else in her eyes. Aside from the coloured contacts of course. There was a strange gleam that I didn't recognize. A distant twinkle covered by some haze… oh!… Oh no… she wasn't… she _couldn't _be … _enjoying this…_could she?

Maybe I'd bitten off more than I could chew… I wanted to let her go and run back to Sai but another part of me, probably the competitive, manly part, wanted to keep pushing and see how far she would let it go.

So I leaned up closer, our lips almost brushing, our hips grinding, our breaths mingling, my hands slipping lower, and I murmured to her. "Enjoying yourself, Yamanaka?"

Ino blushed and licked her lips nervously and I smirked, my blue eyes blazing with competitive, teasing fire. "You wish, Uzumaki," she growled back. But her voice was weak. She didn't sound or look as strong as she wanted to be. Truthfully, I didn't feel as brave as I was acting either. Inside though, I knew I had already won. But she hadn't admitted defeat, so I pushed onward.

"I know you are," I teased. "Look at you trembling and melting into me like you want it," at this I gripped her hips and back tightly and forced my leg in between hers, letting her grind up on my thigh.

The girl gasped, her eyes fluttered and she shivered before glaring at me weakly. "From any one else, maybe. But not a gay fag like you," she shot.

Oh, those were fighting words alright. "Gay" as I might be, I was going to make this girl want me and lose control. I was going to teach her a lesson. With a growl, I gripped her ass, lifted her up and wrapped her legs around my waist and moved the 2 feet to the wall surrounding the dance floor. Her arms wrapped around my neck instinctively as I pressed her against the wall and my hands held her up by her ass. Because of her short skirt, the hem had lifted, making her underwear show and press against my jeans.

She was so stunned she couldn't speak. Couldn't fight back. I was secretly enjoying this. Not turned on by it, mind you. Just enjoying the look of shock on her face. Enjoying the fact that my prissy Systems Manager had that smug grin wiped off her fake model face.

"N-Naruto!" she gasped as I ground my hips into hers again. The crowd surged around us, moved and made noise and kept dancing. Things were going on all around us, but her eyes were on mine. The hate was gone from them. There was just that haze. Her lips were parted slightly and this close I could see the layers of make up, eye liner, and mascara she was wearing. Unattractive. Dimly I wondered what she looked like without make up. Then, suddenly, she leaned forward and moaned into my ear.

"I thought you weren't enjoying this?" I chuckled.

"Ok, Naruto, you win! I give up! Stop!" she gasped. With a victorious smile, I set her down and stepped away from her. She leaned up against the wall, catching her breath and trying to straighten out her outfit. Her pale face was red with embarrassment.

"Remember this in the future before you insult me or try to provoke me again, Yamanaka," I grinned and turned, walking to the bar to grab another drink. When I made it back to Sai, almost all my drink was gone. I looked at him guiltily. "Sorry, I kinda went a little far," I stood in front of him.

"Sorry? What for?! That was a wonderful performance! I think you had her whipped and ready to drop her panties for you!" he laughed and threw his skinny arms around my neck, pulling me in for a passionate kiss. Not knowing what else to do, I wrapped my free arm around his waist and kissed him back. When Sai pressed against me, I could feel his excitement. Not just sexually, but somehow I could just feel his excitement, his anticipation through his very skin.

And _that_ excited me_._

Sai had pulled me to the dance floor later on, shoving another drink in my hand. I have had at least 5 now. We danced and ground together, making out, laughing, and having a good time. I always kept an eye out for both Sakura and Ino. I hadn't seen Ino sine I set her free from my harsh hold. Sakura was still with her tattooed hottie and was getting pretty hot and intense with him.

After at least another 3 drinks, I was feeling quite drunk. Not overly, can't stand straight, drunk. Just mildly past tipsy, drunk. This was fine. I was enjoying myself. So was Sai. His pale, long fingers were constantly touching and brushing against me. One more drink made 9 and I felt like I was ready to go home. I was partied out. Sai had quite a few drinks himself. I looked for Sakura again. Still with Tattooed Hottie. I made my way over and tapped her shoulder. She looked at me with a smile.

I told her Sai and I were leaving. I asked if she wanted to come with us. When she shook her head, my next question was if she was going to be coming home at all tonight. She grinned widely, winked at me and shook her head again. I glanced over at her new friend and examined him closely for the first time.

He was my height, lighter skin than me but still kind of tanned, short, shaggy brown hair and striking brown/black eyes. He was slim but athletically built. The tattoos on his face were just red, upside down triangles on his cheeks bones just under his eyes. He was a really good looking guy. He smiled at me and nodded and when I nodded back, Sakura told me firmly that she was ok. She had her cell phone and money to cab it back home if she needed to. Reluctantly, I hugged her and left.

Neither Sai nor I could drive so we hailed a cab and talked obnoxiously loud as we headed back to my place. Of course, the second the cab sped away and we were walking up to my house, Sai could no longer keep his hands off of me. He kissed me deeply, his tongue forcefully, hungrily explored my mouth and my tongue danced out to meet his. I pressed him against my front door as I fumbled blindly with my keys to unlock the door. Once we stumbled inside, I slammed the door, locked it, then lifted Sai like I had Ino, his legs wrapped around my waist, my hands gripping his ass, his arms around my neck and I carried him into our bedroom.

Along the way, he unfastened my shirt and pushed it back over my shoulders and his hands roamed over my chest and stomach underneath my other shirt. I tossed him playfully on the bed, my head buzzing with booze and excitement, my cock already semi-hard as I shed both my shirts and crawled on top of him. Our lips locked in a kiss immediately as I knelt between his legs and leaned over him. I held myself up on one arm and used my other to push up his shirt and scratch lightly over his stomach and sides, my thumb and palm brushing gently over his nipples.

He was writhing and squirming in delicious pleasure underneath me, moaning and whimpering softly into my mouth. Getting greedy, I pulled him up and pulled his shirt up and off. After tossing his shirt, I glanced down at him, panting, flushed, that lustful fire burning in his eyes. Gods he was so sexy. He was well built and firm, his skin like carved marble aside from the faint lines patterned over his chest, arms and shoulders.

He was perfect. I also didn't fail to notice the growing bulge in his tight jeans. With a smirk, I unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them down over his slim hips. He even lifted his hips to help me slide them down then off. Now in just his boxers, he looked up at me pleadingly. Tauntingly, I leaned down and ground our erections together through my jeans and underwear. The feeling was a bit dulled through the fabric but it was still enough friction to make us gasp and close our eyes in pleasure.

"N-Naruto," Sai groaned, his hands moved from my hair and shoulders down to my pants. They fumbled hastily with the button and fly before pushing down as far as he could reach which was about my mid-thigh.

I chuckled lightly and kissed his neck and jaw, nipping lightly through my inebriated haze. "Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?" I growled.

"No…nnhnn… I want you, Naruto," he mumbled breathlessly. His hands were in my hair again, tugging gently as I moved my kisses down his chest. Finding a small, pert nipple, I licked my lips and gently, curiously, took it into my mouth. The second my mouth covered it, Sai gasped and arched his back and ground his hips up into mine.

I growled and flicked my tongue over the sensitive bud and sucking on it gently. Sai's movements grew slowly more erratic. Then I switched to his other nipple to pay it the same attention and Sai's panting and soft exhales grew to moans. Then I moved back up and pressed our erections together, kissing him full on the mouth as I rolled my hips forward against him eliciting a loud moan from the both of us.

The alcohol and desire pounding through my veins was definitely making me feel bolder and more in control than I would have been normally. My logical brain had shut down for the night and I was giving in, willingly, to the primal needs of lust. I had been jacking off to the thought of Sai. I had been getting increasingly more and more aroused as I thought or dreamt about him. It was about time I acted on my impulses. It was time I stopped being selfish I think!

But other than the grinding and kissing, I didn't know really what else to do for him. And in the back of my mind I was still wary about having full out sex with him so what did that leave for us? I didn't know.

"Naruto…" Sai moaned my name and that sent a wonderful tingle down my spine right to my groin. I grunted and nibbled his bottom lip.

"What do we do now?" I asked curiously, one of my hands wandering his body.

Sai looked up at me with his inky depths and grinned, "Will you let me show you?"

I paused a moment to think about it. I trusted Sai, I did, but could I trust myself or _us_ when we were drunk and crazed with lust? I didn't know. I would just have to trust Sai that if and when I said no, he would listen. So I nodded.

The fire ignited behind his eyes, the haze was there still but now was pushed back as his excitement grew and he sat up. First he pushed me onto my back and pulled my jeans off the rest of the way, tossing them across the room. Then he eyes me up eagerly, his black eyes stopping at my erection hidden by my boxer-briefs. He leaned over me then, his eyes locking on mine as he leaned forward for a gentle, persuading kiss as his fingers dipped into the elastic band of my underwear. I kissed him back, encouraging him. Then he pulled back and slowly, excitingly, he pulled them down.

I flushed darkly, watching his hands free my member from its restraint. It was so uncomfortable and yet at the same time it was strangely kind of hot. His eyes never left my face as he pulled my underwear down and off, tossing them like he had my jeans. My straining cock was fully erect, standing at attention at about 7" in length. Nervously, I looked up at Sai, to see if I could tell what he was thinking.

I had no need to be nervous. His eyes ate up the image of me with a carnal, primal hunger. He loved my size. Looking back up at me, he grinned and blushed only faintly. "Fuck, you're sexy," he breathed.

With a short chuckle, I lifted myself up onto my elbows and nodded at his own clothed erection. "You're turn, lose them," I insisted. Only too happy to obey, he pulled his own underwear off and released his own erect member. I eyed him up, taking his full, naked image. Slim, slightly curvy, his black hair still spiked, his pale, smooth skin, his strong legs from dancing, and finally his dick. He was my Adonis.

"Fuuuuuck," I breathed.

Then Sai was on me again, this time our bare erections sliding together deliciously making me hiss with pleasure. Sai kissed me fiercely, his tongue conquering mine as he rolled his hips against mine, our erections throbbing and pulsing together between our bellies. This felt sooo good. Wonderful. I've never felt this good before… it was breathtaking and yet strange and alien. But that's what made it so fantastic!

We moaned and rocked our hips and kissed and clawed at each other, neither of us fighting for control but we made a mutual rhythm. The hard lengths brushed together, pulsing, hot and engorged. Soon Sai was biting my shoulder as he thrust harder against me. "I'm going to come, Naruto," he groaned. I wanted him to. I wanted him to come. I wanted him to get the pleasure he waned and deserved.

I rocked my hips faster and moaned in his ear, pressing us together harder and faster, making it almost painful as there was no lubrication, only the rough friction of our skin. He moaned and let out a grunt as he thrust quickly a few times before stilling his movements and smashing his lips down on mine.

I felt him come. I felt his member pulse and throb between us and I felt the release of his sticky, warm seed as it splattered on my stomach and pooled, running down my side onto the bed sheets. When he finished, he pulled away, panting, sweating with a silly grin on his face. "Holy shit," he panted. "That was hot."

Grinning, I sat up lightly and looked down at his mess. The white liquid was painted across my stomach and down my side and a tiny string of it still hung, connected to the gooey mess on my stomach. Weirdly, I thought that was kind of sexy. It almost called my name, begged to be licked up. I looked back up at Sai as he grabbed a corner of the sheet and wiped the mess from my stomach as his member slowly softened.

Finally… finally I had experienced something more sexual that grinding through clothes with Sai. And it went a lot better than I thought it would. Though, then again, I was still really drunk and that was probably dulling my senses enough for me not to care.

Sitting up, I helped him clean me off. I made to get up but he gripped my hips and pulled me back. "You're not finished," he growled, his black eyes twinkling with mischief.

I blushed and shook my head, "That's ok. I just wanted to get you off… I've been selfish, saying no to you… I wanted to do this for you."

"That's nice… now it's your turn," he grinned playfully and sat at the head of my bed and pulled me with him, making me sit between his legs with my back pressed against his front. He kissed my neck and shoulder, licking and nibbling as his hands roamed my front.

His palms brushed over my nipples and I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against his shoulder. His warm hands rubbing and stroked and prodded my entire torso, relaxing me into his touch but my erection was still hard and wanting, pre-cum even forming on the head. Finally, his hands made the journey down. One hand gripped my hip while the other slowly, cautiously made its way around my throbbing length.

When his hand finally circled it and gripped, I let out an appreciative groan and rolled my hips slightly. This was _so_ much better than me jacking myself off… having Sai do this for me was so thrilling…I didn't think I was going to last much longer but I wanted to know what this felt like. I wanted to know what it felt like to have a man, Sai, turn me on and jack me off and so far, it was a pleasurable experience and I had no complaints. None that I could form or think or through the booze still buzzing through my head and veins.

Then his hand slowly started moving up and down my length and I moaned. The soft palm of his hand caressing my throbbing cock was wonderful… he squeezed lightly and I gripped the sheets with a sharp intake of breath. "Oh, Gods, Sai, don't stop," I moaned, rolling my hips into his hand.

My heart was frantic, my breathing hard, my body was trembling. I was so excited and turned on. He bit the joint between my neck and shoulder and my eyes flew open as I moaned. With eyes open, I glanced down and watched his hand pumping my shaft steadily. Blushing I looked away.

"No, Naruto… watch. It turns you on, doesn't it? It's sexy watching someone touching you… watch me, Naruto," he growled huskily into my ear. My cock jumped excitedly. His voice was sultry and smooth and powerful, I couldn't help but to listen. So I looked back down at his hand steadily moving faster along my aching length.

I swore and moaned loudly, watching his hand skilfully squeeze and pump and twist. His thumb ran over the head, smearing my pre-cum and slightly lubricating his journey. "It's hot, isn't it? Having me touch your cock? You like it, don't you? I want to hear you call my name when you come, Naruto," he kept murmuring in my ear.

My blue eyes were stuck, fixed on my erection and his hand. I felt my climax growing. I groaned and gripped and pulled the sheets, panting heavily. "Sai… Sai I'm gonna come," I warned, feeling the tension coiling in my gut, almost painfully.

"Then come. Come for me, Naruto," he coaxed, nibbling my ear, breathing softly. I moaned and my cock throbbed and pulsed as the tension released. I cried out, swearing and rolling my hips and calling Sai's name. A bunch of gibberish I'm sure. When I opened my eyes again, (I wasn't aware I had closed them) Sai's hand was slowing down, bringing me down from my high. His hand and my stomach and legs were covered with my own, hot seed.

I panted and leaned my head back against him with a grunt of exhaustion and relaxed my grip on the sheets. He finally let me go. "Holy hell," I whimpered. I heard and felt him chuckle. His pale arms wrapped around me and tightened in a loving hug as he planted warm kisses along my shoulder, throat and jaw.

"Ready for bed?" he suggested. I nodded tiredly. The alcohol was slowing everything down and the release of my pent up sexual frenzy had tuckered me out. Sleep sounded like a fantastic idea. I sat up, wiped myself clean clumsily and crawled under the covers with Sai, curling up behind him and cuddling him close to me. Clothes were forgotten. Time was forgotten. And it was only as I was drifting off to sleep that I realized we had never met up with Suigetsu or the others.

…

**Woohoo! They progressed their relationship FINALLY! … I hope this is still all realistic and acceptable for you folks… I don't want them having sex any time soon but then, they are grown men and need sexual release… I had to come up with something… So this is what came out. And only cuz Naruto was drinking! Naughty boy! HAHA**

**Anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter. Please READ & REVIEW!**

**Thank you to the TWO PEOPLE who reviewed my last chapter! **

**Love you all,**

**TLC**


	12. There's A Song I Was Listening To

**Missundaztood**

Chap 12 – There's A Song I Was Listening To

Thank gods the next day was a Saturday and I don't work weekends… I woke up Saturday morning feeling extremely satisfied and happy. Which was fine, but then the realization of what happened last night flashed into my mind and I could feel my face burn with embarrassment.

How could I? What in the world had gotten into me to make me do those things with Sai? Then I realized it was the alcohol. It had to have been. That I had shared that intimacy with a man damn near chilled me to the bone. How was I ever going to face Sai? How was I going to face Sakura or the guys at work knowing that I did what I did?

Shameful! Disgusting! Wrong…

But… then I thought about it more. The world didn't implode. The world was fine. I was fine. Sai, as far as I could tell, was fine. Nothing happened just because I was _intimate_ with Sai… there was nothing _wrong_ about what we did. Nothing at all.

Maybe it was just because I was in shock that I thought that? Because, thinking on it now and replaying those memories, feelings and sensations in my mind… Not _once_ did I say no to him. Not once did I protest or think that what we were doing was wrong. If I recalled correctly, I remember even thinking that it was incredibly hot and thrilling.

I also distinctly recall _thoroughly_ enjoying it. I vividly remember the pleasure that ripped through my body, the intense heat, the moans that escaped my throat, my release… it was all incredibly… it was all so… I wracked my tired, fuzzy brain trying to find the word…

It was simply…_ perfect_.

There was nothing to panic about. Being with a man wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Granted we didn't really have _sex_, but regardless… what we did wasn't as wrong or horrible as I had been expecting it to be. It was actually quite amazing… for a first time experience for me. And I could totally see us doing more, much, _much_ more of it in the future.

Suddenly being with Sai wasn't a bad thing. I felt like I was finally taking it in stride, accepting it for what it was. I was a man, dating another man, and I could accept that. It was alright. I also decided that it didn't really matter what my sexual orientation was; I was with Sai and that was that. Who cares if I liked another guy? Whether people interpreted it as 'Gay' or 'Bi' or 'Curious' or 'Confused' was not my problem. I decided that I was who I was and I just so happened to be me. That, I could accept.

With a content smile on my lips, I opened my bright blue eyes and took a deep breath in. Already I could feel the weight come off my shoulders. Wow, the feeling of learning acceptance was wonderful. The feeling of finally liking who you are and where you're at was an indescribable feeling for me.

I looked at Sai. He was still sleeping, curled on the right side of my body, his dark head on my bare chest. Our legs were tangled together comfortably, one of his arms was thrown over my stomach and chest and I could feel his warm breath ghosting over my skin.

With a smirk I remembered just how quickly we both had lost our clothes, how fast and indulgent we had been, how our inhibitions, or mine at least, had dissolved and I had been taken over by a primal lust. I wanted him. I barely thought twice about it. My body just kind of took over. Sai was more than happy to oblige and follow suit. I had been making him wait for much too long so he must have been feeling such carnal want for me. I was happy we did what we did.

We finally got to that next step. I felt like we were actually in a relationship now. Not just pretending, not just emotionally or just saying we were together. I felt like now we actually _were _together. We had expanded our relationship and felt each other on another level.

It was wonderful. I laid there and basked in the glow of my realization. I enjoyed the feeling of knowing. The feeling of being ok with Sai. Being ok with me.

Until I had to go to the bathroom, that is. I could only hold it in for so long before I felt like I had to piss the bed so reluctantly I wiggled out from his grip and slipped off the bed without waking him up. I grabbed a fresh, clean pair of underwear and some sweatpants before slipping out and heading to the bathroom.

After dressing and washing up, I wandered into the living room and took a look at the time. 11:36am. Wow… I really slept in. That's not like me at all. And my truck was still at the bar. I had to get it at some point today. Stretching and cracking with a deep sigh, I settled onto the couch and turned on the T.V.

Saturday morning cartoons? I think so.

It had been a while since I could just sit quietly, relax and just feel happy and content. Usually I kept myself so busy but today I figured I deserved a good old fashioned lazy day. No cleaning, no getting dressed, no worrying about chores and things that needed to be done. I still had Sunday to do all that. But this Saturday was mine.

I watched cartoons for a while before my stomach rumbled and told me I had yet to feed it. So I got up and sauntered into the kitchen to get breakfast, or I suppose it would be lunch, ready. Something quick and simple in keeping with the theme of lazy day. Bagels.

Bagels were always the solution.

I made one for myself and one for Sai before heading into the bedroom to wake him up. He was so adorable. He was sprawled out and still completely naked but he looked comfortable and content. I almost didn't want to wake him but it was past noon and I wanted to cuddle.

Crawling onto the bed behind him, I curled my body around his and slowly and gently kissed the exposed skin of his neck, shoulders and back. He eventually responded to me, making happy noises while wiggling a little with a tiny smile on his face. "Time to get up, sleepy," I murmured in his ear, kissing along his neck, behind his ear and back down to his shoulder.

He let out a soft chuckle and tiredly rolled over to face me. "Good morning, sunshine," he grinned. His black eyes were still hazy with sleep but I locked eyes with him as I kept kissing his shoulder.

"I've made lunch. Want to come out to the living room with me?" I offered.

"I'd love to," he said before leaning up and planting a swift, chaste kiss on my lips before rolling off the bed and searching for clean clothes. As he was searching I grabbed my phone from my jean pockets and take a look at it.

Surprisingly, I had a few messages and a missed call. I look through the messages and see that Sakura had texted me letting me know she was safe and spending the day out with a friend. Good to know. I also had a text from Suigetsu last night saying he wasn't going to make it but hoped I had fun. I flush slightly. I _did_ end up having fun. A lot of fun.

I had two other texts so I looked through. One was from Yesung asking if I was still going to come over today. Shit, I totally forgot. I texted him back quickly saying I wouldn't today but I'll visit tomorrow for sure.

The last message was from an unknown number.

'_I'll get you for what you did. You will regret challenging me!'_

I frowned. Who in the world did I challenge? What did I do to anyone? The only person I could think of was Sasuke. But even then, my last altercation with the Uchiha was almost a month ago. Sasuke would have gotten to me a while ago if that was his plan. He wasn't the person to just let it sit and brew. The second he knew he could do something was when he did it.

So who else had a grudge against me? Well, there was Ino and I did practically molest her last night but _she _had challenged _me_ and I called her bluff. I didn't think she would be that vindictive or petty. I guess I would wait and see.

My missed call was from another unknown number. By the time I got here, Sai had found new clothes and sat behind me, planting gentle, warm kisses all over my bare shoulders and the back of my neck like I did to him. I grin and press the call back button.

The phone rang a few times before someone on the other end picked up. It was a male voice and it sounded vaguely familiar for some strange reason. It sounded like I had heard that voice before.

"_Hello?"_

I paused. What did I say?

"Uhm, hi. I received a call from this number earlier?"

"_Who is this?"_

Again, I swear I had heard this voice before somewhere. I just couldn't put my finger on it. "Uh, this is Naruto. Who is this?"

A pause on the other end. Did they know me too?

"_Uzumaki Naruto?"_ he finally asked.

"Yes. Who are you?" I questioned again.

"_I'm surprised you answered, Naruto…It's been a long time since we've spoken. Do you remember me at all?"_

I frowned and tried to rack my brain. The voice sounded familiar, they knew me, claimed to know me from a long time ago.

"Uh… I'm afraid not. What's your name?" By now Sai was extremely curious and came around to my front. I noticed he was shirtless and wearing sweatpants like me. He stared into my face with his head tilted slightly as if asking what was going on. I shrugged at him. I didn't know really any more than he did at this point.

"_I suppose you haven't been here for 15 years. It would be hard to remember from a past you probably blocked out." _

My blood chilled. I'm sure I must have paled considerably because Sai suddenly looked worried. My heart started pounding. Terror pulsed through me pretty quickly. I swear I stopped breathing for a full minute. I let his sentence hang in the air till I realized I stopped breathing and my lungs were burning with pain.

"H-how did you get my number?" I whispered into the phone.

Sai was now genuinely concerned and moved closer, rubbing my arm for comfort. I felt no comfort however. I felt no calm. Inside I was a whirlwind of extreme emotions but the main one that gripped and squeezed my heart painfully was fear. Plain, simple fear.

The man chuckled on the other end. _"Oh, Naruto. You know better than that. You know I _always_ check up on my kids…how are you doing? I hear you're a big shot now. A young journalist at a popular studio and dating a famous actor? Way to go! I knew you'd turn out perfectly!" _

My stomach clenched and I felt sick. I wanted to throw up. How did he get my number? Why would he seek me out now? What was his motive?

"What do you want? Why are you contacting me?" My voice still barely above a whisper. I could feel my body shaking.

Another light chuckle. _"Always so quick to cut to the chase, aren't you? I just wanted to check on you, dear boy. I've missed you these past years. I miss your company. You should visit sometime. But until then, I should let you go. I know you're probably busy with Sai… I'm glad you finally came out of the closet! I'll check on you later!" _

The line went dead.

I couldn't breathe. I hung up and stared at the phone in my hand, willing it to give me the answers I sought. Why? Why would he contact me? Why would he want to talk to me after all these years? Why would he taunt me like this? What did he want? Why? Why, even now, did he want to ruin me all these years later?

"Naruto? Are you ok? Who was that?" Sai asked, trying to get my attention. His voice called me back. I looked at him with sad eyes.

I didn't know what to say. I've never explained my past to anyone. Not even my dearest friend, Sakura. Not even Yesung. Not one person knew about my past and what happened to me back in Suna. Not one. Except the man on the phone. I didn't even know if I could say any of it out loud. I had shut out that memory; I had blocked most of my childhood and refused to acknowledge it for the longest time. I couldn't handle it. My therapist had told me that it was normal and natural for me to block it out. To pretend it never happened.

I've never been able to openly admit to it. Admitting it was like confessing that it was real. That it happened. I wasn't sure I could deal with that. Whenever the subject came up, I shut down. Even when Sakura had opened up to me years ago and told me about her abusive childhood, I could not return the trust. I couldn't breach that subject.

"I…" Could I tell Sai? I felt like I still barely knew him. _Could_ I trust him? I'd only known him for almost 3 months and only truly been dating him for about 2 weeks… I wasn't sure I could divulge this information.

"You don't have to tell me, Naruto… If it's too hard for you, it's ok. But just know that I'm here and I'm willing to listen. You can trust me." He spoke so softly, gently, like he was afraid to talk too loud as if I would run scared. I almost felt like that… I was glad he was trying. He knew what to say.

"I…" I stammered again. This was terrifying. But my therapist had told me something long ago that started to ring true to me. She said I would have to open up and tell someone else one day. It would come up at some point and it would _need_ to be discussed. I had to gain closure. I would have to confide in someone and trust them with this intimate information.

My body was still trembling; my heart felt like it was the size of a pea it was constricting so badly. I still felt sick to my stomach. But I felt like I could trust Sai. Maybe I could finally open myself up to him and tell him about me. My past. I knew he was just going to worry about me anyways since he watched that whole phone conversation.

"Uhm… let's eat first," I suggested, getting up and leading Sai into the living room where the T.V. was still on and our bagels sat waiting.

We sat in a tense silence, pretending to watch T.V. and eat. It only took a few bites for me to realize that if I ate any more I'd throw up. So I pushed my bagel away and waited for Sai to finish his. I was nervous. How would I even start this messed up story? Where to begin?

When he finished, he turned the T.V. off and sat facing me, inky eyes intent and waiting. I fidgeted under his gaze. This was extremely uncomfortable.

"Uhm… well, I guess I'll start at the earliest thing I remember…" I began, my voice shaky and unsure. Sai waited. So I began, recounting my childhood in a way I never had before. "To start, I'm an orphan. I don't even know who my parents were…And that's information I never cared to search for. So at an early age, I was placed in an orphanage. From what my nurses told me, I was always quite the trouble maker. I didn't like being fed or bathed or scolded. I played pranks, teased the other kids, and when adults would interview me I always managed to scare them off one way or another."

Kind of a silly memory, really, but it mattered all the same.

"I was in the orphanage for a long time, till I was about 5 or 6. But because of my unruly behavior, they sent me to an all boys academy. The first while was ok. They were strict and beat the outward behavior down to a manageable level. I just switched to sneak pranks and went after the Professors as well as the kids… they knew it was me though. So they sent me to 'Detention Hall'. A living Hell in the basement of the Academy. It was run by a disgusting man named Orochimaru."

I had to pause here. The name alone even sent a shiver of dread up my spine. This is where the story got bad.

"He… was a scientist. Or… that's what he passed himself off as. Liked to say he was a Psychologist. He took in the 'rough cases' and tried to figure out the 'science behind the behavior'. He…he got away with a lot…" I choked. This was really hard… Despite trying to dull my emotions, the horrible images and feelings flooded into me, just like they used to back then.

"He ran experiments on the kids. Tried to produce results but no one knew for what. Whatever secret mission he had. He did anything to get the results he wanted; including drug experimentation. Because the 'tough cases' were isolated from the rest of the Academy, we had to stay down there as long as he wanted and the school didn't complain. The troublemakers were out of the way. They didn't have to deal with us and he had free reign to do what he wanted as long as we were 'whipped into shape'.

I remember… one boy in particular…was special to him. He took special interest in him and kept him around a lot more than the others. But one day that boy disappeared, never to be heard from again. Then he turned to me. I was incredibly resilient and resisted all symptoms of the drugs he had given me… he especially enjoyed my determination, my fire, my hatred for him. I was his new toy…"

I felt tears spring to my eyes. I _hated_ my childhood… I _hated_ everything I had been put through. The pain. The fear. The sickness. The degradation. The feelings. The experiments. There was nothing I remembered about my childhood that I liked or would classify as a happy memory.

Sai reached out and touched my hand for support. I had almost forgotten he was there listening. I had retreated within my mind to recall these memories. I smiled weakly at him, trying hard to hold back my tears. I felt ok continuing.

"I…the things that happened there, Sai… I've never, _never_ told anyone before…not even my therapist when I was younger…It's… hard to even think about…" I took in a deep breath to try and steady myself. It really was a horrible past… terrible things happened to me that I was afraid to admit to. But I had to do it. I had to trust in someone. Sai had trusted me with his dark secret about his foster parents. I could do this.

"I was secluded from the rest of the kids down there. I had my own private room that was adjoined to his own chambers that locked on his side of the door. So he could come and go whenever he pleased… I was a little older then; around 8 or 9. I was…" I had to clear my throat to continue my humiliating story, "I was chained… to the bed. I was starved. Sleep deprived. Not allowed to move or have any energy so I could fight him when he…" I felt a tear escape my hold. "He would come at two or three hour intervals to… _play_ with me…"

"He'd put a clip on my tongue so I couldn't close my mouth all the way and made it hard to scream…he would tase me, beat me, whip me, cut me… anything he felt like doing…He would never let me up to go to the bathroom either… There were many times I just had to go where I laid…It was disgusting. I was so degraded and broken…he'd inject me with drugs. I'd hallucinate or I'd be so stoned most days, or so limp and shaky I couldn't fight. He got pleasure out of it… the sick freak _enjoyed_ torturing me… when I turned 10 he…"

I was trembling so badly I was sure I was vibrating the couch. I could remember the pain… I touched my cheeks where my whisker mark scars were. He had done that to me too along with _many_ other scars on my body.

"He…uhm…sexually assaulted me… made me into a submissive slave…molded me into the perfect little toy. I was defeated. I had no idea what the other kids went through either… They were all treated differently than me but who knows… there were a lot of casualties then… a lot of poor little boys who were just as broken as me…The day the Academy found out was a good day… They immediately arrested him and sentenced him to life in prison. The boys were set free, the Academy was closed and I was sent to an orphanage here and went to extensive therapy to deal with everything..."

With a sigh I wiped the flow of tears that had escaped during my story. "I was never adopted. No one wanted a damaged boy. So at 12 I started writing journals and stories and got really good at it so by the time I graduated High School, I was working for the college newspaper. They took me as a student there with grants and scholarships to pay for my schooling. I got a degree in writing. Got a job at KAS studios at 20 and I've been there since…" I finished, trying to end on a happy note.

I got the courage to finally look at Sai. His black eyes were wide with shock and he looked like he was trembling with anger. His mouth was open slightly. "That was who called me today… Orochimaru some how got my number and called me…to 'check in' on his kids…He said he missed me and that I should visit. Said he was glad I 'came out of the closet' and that I turned out perfectly…" I was shaking again.

The reality of the situation was settling in. I felt heavy. Bringing this entire thing up was really having an effect on me. I was digging up old memories that I would have preferred to have left forgotten and deteriorating in the dust of my mind.

"Eventually I bought this house for myself and started a new life. I told myself I'd never go back to Suna. I promised myself I'd never let my past get in the way of my future. So I just forgot about my past. I blocked it and never talked about it so to me it never happened… it never existed… and it worked well for 15 years… but it seems as if Orochimaru has other ideas."

And that was that. I've finally told someone. Strangely, I felt a little better. I felt better knowing that I wasn't the only one who knew about my past. Knowing I wasn't alone. It felt good to share the burden.

I squeezed Sai's hand and smiled weakly at him. Suddenly I felt tired. Feeling all these emotions and reliving my past drained me and I felt like it was Friday after work. I felt exhausted and like I needed a nap.

But I wanted to know what Sai was thinking. The poor man had been silent and probably raging mad. I could see the anger and hatred blazing behind his inky eyes. He looked ready to kill and I couldn't blame him. I had felt the same way for the longest time before I just shut it all out.

"Sai?" I murmured, trying to bring him back to me.

He blinked, took a deep breath, waited a moment then finally looked at me tiredly. "I'm so sorry, Naruto, that you had to go through that. No one should ever have to live through what you did. But I'm glad you did survive and I'm so glad that you didn't let it dictate and shape the person you are today…" he finally said. I had to smile. I could tell he was trying to keep his composure in front of me.

"Thanks, Sai…" I leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"You're changing your number," he said suddenly. I pulled back to look at him with curiousity.

"What's that?"

"You're changing your number," he repeated. "On Monday."

I pause for a moment before nodding. It was a good idea. I wasn't sure how that snake got my number before but if I changed it I'm sure he wouldn't be able to contact me again. Not from prison. So I nodded my agreement.

Then Sai reached out for me, pulling me into his arms and laid back so I was laying on his front. He grabbed the T.V. remote, turned it on, and held me while we watched cartoons. Wonderful. Despite the emotional turmoil this morning, this was still going to turn out to be a great lazy Saturday. The world could wait. Orochimaru would be forgotten. This was _my_ weekend and I would not let silly things ruin that for me.

With a shaky smile, a deep breath and a hum of appreciation, I wrapped my tanned arms around my boyfriend, cuddled into him and settled in for the rest of the day.

…

**Oh my… the darkness of poor Naru's past! For 15 years the man surpressed it, afraid to relive it. Afraid to admit that it happened! The poor dear. And who is this mysterious unknown number texting him, telling him that he will regret challenging them? Curious! Stayed tuned!**

**Thank you to those few of you who reviewed my last chapter! I'm glad you are all enjoying the story and I hope you all continue to love it! **

**Also, I WILL BE CHANGING MY ACCOUNT NAME! IT WILL NO LONGER BE monzieslilneji! So please keep your eye out for that! **

**Read & Review please!**

**Love you all,**

**TLC**


	13. Up All Night

**Missundaztood**

Chap 13 – Up All Night

It didn't take long for my weekend to end. Before I knew it, it was Monday morning again. Much to my dismay. Sakura had come back home Saturday evening and I _swear_ she had little love hearts in her eyes as she recounted how her Friday night had gone. Her tattooed hottie had taken her back to his place and they had a little fun of their own. Very much along the lines of how _our_ Friday night went.

She was ecstatic about it. Finally moving on from Sasuke. She asked how our night went and after much blushing, stammering and postponing on my part, Sai did the honors of telling Sakura _precisely_ how our night went. When I rather loudly expressed my concern at this, the two started chuckling and exchanging juicy details so I opted to take a walk.

I didn't dare return until I got a text from Sai saying it was safe to come home.

Then on Sunday, I woke up early to see Yesung and his siblings. I ended up taking them to a movie. Spending the day with them was a nice change and helped me relax. After getting that call from Orochimaru, I was fairly shaken up. It had been a long time since I've given my past any sort of thought at all.

So hanging with the kids felt great. After the movie, we went for ice cream and then I took them home, promising to see them next Saturday.

Then Monday rolled around and I was forced to go back to work. At first, everything seemed normal too. Sakura and I got there, got our coffee, chatted with Shikamaru, Suigetsu and the others for a bit before heading off to our little cubicles. I got down to work right away and typed away, editing my stories and calling around to get more information as usual. Nothing big. Until just before lunch, Tsunade-baa-chan called me into her office.

Wondering if I was in trouble or not, I wandered over and knocked on her door. She called for me to enter so I did. I bowed low, paying my respects, but not before catching a glimpse of who else was in the room; Yamanaka Ino.

"Tsunade-Sama, what would you like?" I asked politely. The look on her face was dark, hard and contemplating as she gestured at me to sit. I sat obediently and tried to ignore the fact that the pig-faced model was in the room.

"Uzumaki-San, it has come to my attention that you have been acting inappropriately towards your fellow employees. Is this true?"

My blood boiled almost instantly with anger. "Excuse me?" I ground out fiercely, trying desperately to control my tone and my anger. "Who in the world told you _that?"_

Tsunade glanced over at the blonde bitch sitting in the room, then back to me. "I cannot disclose that information," she said. I knew it was for legal purposes; 'Employee/Employer confidentiality rights' and all that jazz. But we both knew that it was Ino. "I'm asking you, Naruto, if this is true."

"No. I have been acting _completely_ appropriately here at work. Ask _anyone. _Never in my 5 years here have I _ever_ had a complaint against me because I am not that kind of person." I force out my defense, pronouncing every word slowly and deliberately so that Pig-face will know what she's getting herself into.

Tsunade glanced back at Ino, then back to me again with a nod. "Good. As long as you act appropriately in the workplace, that's all that matters. I will do a little more investigating and asking around but I believe you Naruto. You have been a very reliable, proper, diligent and polite employee. You've given me no reason to suspect you of anything," she said with an air of finality, glancing back at Ino.

I refused to look at her as I left Tsunade's office, seething with anger. How _dare_ she try and accuse me of inappropriate behavior! If she was trying to get me into trouble for what happened at the bar, then she was going to have to try a lot harder. Trying to accuse me of it in the workplace was the wrong thing to do. She was _stupid_ if she thought Tsunade-baa-chan could reach outside the studio… grrrrr!

I stormed back over to my desk, ignoring the calls from Sakura and Suigetsu. I was too angry. I didn't want to talk with anyone till I calmed down. So I sat down, opened a new word document and began pounding furiously on my keyboard, trying to vent my rage.

'_Journal Entry #4_

_October 30__th__,_

_I suppose there is such a thing as calm before the storm. I lived it myself in these recent few days. I had a lot of fun on Friday. There was dancing, drinking, good company, and challenges as well. But I overcame those challenges and I came out on top, proving that I wasn't a force to be messed with. Especially with _him_ watching. I felt bold and daring knowing that he was watching and cheering me on from behind the scenes. _

_Would I have done any of that if he _wasn't_ watching? Would I have just shrugged at the challenge and let it pass by? I feel maybe I would have. I'm not the kind of person to just accept a silly and petty challenge like that. I would ignore it. But somehow I accepted that challenge… just because he was there encouraging it. _

_Is that a bad thing? Is it bad that I feel more daring when he is there? Is it normal to feel like I need to show off, to act for him? I don't blame him at all; I'm questioning my own self. I'm questioning why I feel that way when he is around. Is it because it's all still so new? _

_Friday continued into an experience that blew my mind. The line that I was afraid to cross, the line I had been terrified to face, suddenly blurred and became obsolete. There was no need to fear. No need to question myself or my beliefs. This line did not change me and did not change the way people thought about me. Waking up the next day sent a wave of realization and relief over me. I felt new yet old. I felt excited yet calm. _

_It was beautiful. I realized that I could share myself with him without losing my self like I thought I would. There are other things we can do, other ways we can feel what we did. _

_I no longer feel lost or confused. I realize that I'm still me no matter what I do or whom I choose to be with. I'm still me regardless of what I decide to do with my partner. That was a weight off my shoulders to realize this. I'm now comfortable with myself and my choice. I feel like its right. _

_No one, no matter who it is, can take that peace of mind away from me.'_

…

The next day was Halloween and of course the office had a costume party. I went as the same thing I did last year in my Phantom of the Opera costume; Erik, the Phantom. I'd been wearing the same costume for 2 years, now 3. I liked it, it suited me and it was easy. Nothing elaborate or complicated.

Sakura dressed as a sexy white bunny in an adorable short white summer dress that was poufy and frilly, white ears and tail and white high heels. Shikamaru, not surprisingly, didn't dress up. Nudist on strike is the term he used. Suigetsu dressed up as a purple dinosaur apparently from some American TV show called Barney. It was downright creepy if you asked me but he found it extremely entertaining. Tsunade dressed up in a typical witch costume which I found quite ironic though I would never say so out loud. Hinata dressed as a Fairy Princess which was adorable; her wings kept catching on things and hitting people. It got to the point where she just took them off and instead of being a Fairy Princess, she was just a Princess dressed in a gorgeous lavender and baby blue gown.

Then there was Ino. 3 guesses as to what she dressed as. You would be right if you guessed a slutty superhero. Super Girl… The cape and everything… Though instead of a top that covered her stomach and a longer skirt, her top barely covered the bottom of her small breasts and the skirt was so short that if she weren't wearing spandex shorts underneath, I would have seen A LOT more than I wanted to.

It was just another normal, average day at work. The guys and I would type away, doing what we do, then we'd break for a coffee break. The only difference between normal coffee breaks and Halloween coffee breaks was that during our breaks we would play games that were set up in the break room. Bobbing for apples for example. Or Pin the Nose on the Witch, which Suigetsu made a horrible, life threatening joke by taping one of the paper noses onto Tsunade.

This was followed by screaming, from both parties, the stomping of running feet through the building, and then, eventually, the pitiful cries for mercy and the wails of pain.

The ones who didn't partake in _that_ particular 'festivity' were laughing hysterically in the break room, unharmed. The games continued. 'Scare Factory' was a line of disgusting looking things in jars or bowls or on plates like a hand in a jar of oily looking water, worms crawling through a rotting human head, bloody brains, what looked like a heart in a bowl of 'punch', etc, etc, and we each had to take a turn and choose what we would rather take a bite out of.

Of course, none of it was real. The brains were molded jelly, the hand was bacon wrapped bread, the 'human head' was just a cake shaped and painted, but the worms were real. Though none of us quite knew what the 'heart' was and frankly, we were kind of afraid to find out. But that was the whole point of the game! To be scared but to try it anyways!

We took turns and each dared try something. Sakura braved the human cake with worms, only making a face briefly. Poor Hinata nearly fainted at the prospect of trying the heart so she went with the brains. She made a face at the texture, which was adorable; scrunching her nose in distaste. Apparently she didn't like the taste. Shikamaru didn't want to try anything so he sat back and watched. Suigetsu, after coming back with his purple dinosaur head all dented and pushed in, decided he'd try what everyone else was afraid of and dared to eat the heart.

One bite. That's all it took. He went white as a sheet and ran to the nearest trash bin and threw up. Apparently it was revolting. No one dared eat it after that. When my turn came, I tried the bacon wrapped bread in a jar and granted it wasn't the greatest tasting, but it was a whole lot better than the heart, I figured.

After a time, there was nothing new left to try so we meandered back to our desks and got back to work, chattering quietly that Tsunade had changed costumes to a Tavern Wench. Better than a witch I suppose?

The lunch break consisted of a game of candy toss. Teams of 2 would stand at opposite ends of the break room. One would hold a bucket and the other would have a pile of candy. Which ever team had the most candy caught in the bucket won. I paired up with Sakura of course. It was a bit difficult because the break room was fairly large but somehow Sakura and I managed to keep a lot of candy in our buckets. We didn't win though, we came second. Suigetsu and Shikamaru were first and had an unfair advantage; Suigetsu was a basketball player.

They only won a $20 gift card to the coffee shop around the corner each. But Suigetsu made it sound like he won the lottery.

Back to work. We worked away but took it easy for the day. Tsunade was always lenient on holidays and silly American days like Halloween, New Years on January 1st; things like that.

At one point, everyone had gone for a smoke break or washroom break and I was the only one in the office, still typing away at my computer, when I got the distinct feeling that I was being watched by someone of malicious will close by. I tensed and stifled the shiver, turning around.

My blue eyes scanned the room and I didn't notice anyone immediately. So I went back to work for a little while longer. Then the feeling came again. With goose bumps rising on my arms, I turned around again and scanned the room. Was someone playing a Halloween prank on me? Again, I didn't see anyone. Getting the distinct feeling that I was in a horror movie, I paused and stared around the room for a little while longer.

I didn't want to call out and feel and sound stupid in case someone wasn't actually there. I wasn't sure if I was being paranoid or not. After a few moments of stillness, I sigh and turn back to my computer. I'm just imagining things. That's all. There's nothing there.

Almost immediately I felt that presence again. Instead of panicking though, I turned my computer monitor off so the reflective black screen was there. I saw my own reflection of my mask and costume and a bit of the office area behind me. I scanned the black screen, searching for something off. I shifted myself to the side so I could see more of the room behind me and then I saw it.

Tiny boots were lying in a heap on the floor, almost out of sight but not completely so. I recognized those boots. Those were Ino's. So where was she? What was she up to? I scan the black screen again, hoping to see some glimpse of her and her skimpy outfit. What was this little pig up to?

A small movement caught my eye, close to where the boots were lying. A rustle of clothing and the movement of one of the flimsy cubicle walls as someone leaned up against it.

I spin around, get up and quietly make my way over, heart beating quickly. What was I going to do once I found her out? I guess I hadn't thought it through, but I wanted to get rid of the feeling of malice that hung in the air.

I rounded the corner and glanced down. There, sitting in slight shock, was the girl I was expecting to see. Super Slutty Girl (oops, I meant Slutty Super Girl…not), clutching what looked like a manila envelope full of paper. There was a guilty look in her fake blue eyes as she looked up at me, wide eyed, mouth slightly open.

"What are you doing?" I asked with a frown.

"U-uhm…nothing. Why haven't you gone with the others?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"I don't smoke. What are you doing, sneaking around like that? Have something to hide?" I accused, looking back at the large and bulging package in her hands.

She looked down at it, then back up to me, only a slight spark of fear in her eyes before she quickly extinguished it and opted for cute and alluring. "Oh, it's only some work I have to do later. You know, you're a really hard worker, Uzumaki-San… has Tsunade-Sama ever rewarded you for all your work?" She asked, her voice sultry and low as she set aside the envelope.

"Yes, she has. Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden? I thought you were trying to get rid of me?" I crossed my arms and stared down at her intently. She and I both knew that she had no game she could play with me.

"Get rid of you? No! On the contrary, having gay people in the workplace is beneficial; makes people think a little better of us, you know? But you know, Naruto-kun…may I call you Naruto? You know… I always had you pegged as a straight guy… or at the very least, bi-sexual…" she cooed, getting up on her knees in front of me and giving me wide eyes that I'm guessing she thought was sexy and innocent. I knew better than that.

"You should be careful how you word things, Yamanaka-San. You might offend the wrong people. And no, you may not call me Naruto. We are not familiar or friends." I glared, not liking the calculating look in her eyes. And ignoring her bit on my sexual orientation. I didn't need to explain myself to anyone, especially not her.

"Oh, don't be so cross, Naruto-kun… we're all friends here at KAS… and friends help each other out, don't they?" her eyes slid down my front and came to a blatant stop over my crotch. She inched a little closer and leaned forward, like she was going to kiss or press her face over my clothed member.

Feeling angrier than ever, I stepped back and held out my hands to prevent her moving closer. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

She looked up at me with puppy eyes and a pout, "Come on, Naruto-kun… just a little taste? I want to know what it's like…" she breathed.

I pushed her away gently and leaned down, picking up the envelope she had set down. Then I turned around and walked back to my desk as she cried out her disagreement. She was just coming to yell at me when everyone started filing back in to their desks. Of course, not wanting to make a scene, she grabbed her boots, put them back on and walked calmly towards me.

By then, though, I had already opened the envelope and was pulling out the papers inside. She was hiding it for a reason, was trying to be sneaky, and was waiting for me to leave my desk… there was something she was trying to do to me.

I scanned over the documents and most of it made no sense to me. It looked like a lot of stats and specs for the area and a few weather maps. Useless things to me; it wasn't my job to know any of that. But a few more pages in I saw other things that made my heart sink. Reports, my co-workers incomplete projects, drawings of the building, a map of the town and various other things. Just what was all this? What did it mean?

Ino tried snatching the envelope away but I stood, turned and marched down the hall towards Tsunade's office. I didn't know what any of this was but I figured she needed to know. Ino quietly begged me to give it back as she followed me.

"Please, Uzumaki-San, please give it back. It's just a project I'm working on! Really, it's nothing. She doesn't really need to be bothered with this! Uzumaki-San, please! What do you want? I'll give you anything, just give it back!"

Her voice was tiny so only I could hear. Back to Uzumaki-San, huh? Figures. I ignored her all the way there. I knocked on Tsunade's door and waited for her response. When she gave it, I strode in and set the envelope on her desk in front of her. Ino's whole demeanor had changed and I had a horrible feeling that she was going to set this on me.

Before she had a chance to speak, I spoke first.

"Tsunade-Sama, I found Yamanaka-San sneaking around behind my desk with these papers. I don't know what they are exactly but I think she was going to try and plant them on my desk and blame me for whatever they are… I figured I should come here and show you before I was wrongly accused."

"Wrongly accused!" Pig-face screeched, "Tsunade-Sama, it was Uzumaki-San who had these papers on his desk! I was trying to take them back! He was hiding them from you!"

"Please! I haven't left my desk all day except for the breaks for the Halloween games! When everyone went out for a smoke break, I was working at my desk! _You _had that silly envelope! Not to mention the sexual advance and inappropriate comments you made towards me!" I snapped back, feeling my anger boil. This was _completely_ ridiculous!

"Enough!" Tsunade growled, glaring at the both of us. "Now, I don't know what's wrong here or what you have against each other but this is getting ridiculous! I've had nothing but complaints and headaches about this! Now, clearly, it's getting to the point where illegal things may be happening and I won't allow this!"

She turned her amber eyes onto the envelope finally and opened it, scanning through the documents. Her frown deepened as she looked through more and more of the stack of paper. When she got to the sheets with people's incomplete projects, she slammed the papers down and stood. "I need to know the truth! Who originally had this package?" Tsunade's voice was shaking with rage.

I immediately shook my head, "It wasn't mine. Like I said, I have been at my desk all day. I don't even have access to any of that… I found Ino with it as she was hiding behind a cubicle."

"Are you kidding me?! I took it from your desk! You had it! You could have gotten it from _anyone's _computer and any time! It was him, Tsunade-Sama!" Ino protested.

"You are being petty, Yamanaka! It wasn't enough for you to bother me and call me names in Korea when we first met but you had to go and walk all over me, challenge me, make sexual advances on me, and try to frame me for something I didn't do? Are you trying to ruin my life? What have you got against me?" I ranted, my arms flailing.

"Enough! Naruto, you are suspended for 2 days. Go cool your heels before coming back to work."

"What?! Are you serious? You're blaming me and letting _her_ off? You can't just-"

"Naruto, quiet for a moment! Ino, you are suspended for a week. Until I can get to the bottom of this, this is how it's going to be! For showing inappropriate behavior towards your fellow co-workers and having several complaints against you, Ino, I don't want to see you here till Tuesday next week. You are both dismissed!"

With an angry grunt I spun around and marched out of her office, putting as much distance between that pig-face and myself as possible. I stormed past everyone, saved my work, turned off my computer, grabbed my stuff and marched out. I paused only briefly to stop at Sakura's desk, telling her I'm being sent home and I'll text her later.

I don't really remember what happened next. I was driving home on auto-pilot. Fuming mad, I felt at a loss of what to do. I've never really been this mad before. I mean, Sasuke damn near came close but for some reason, having Ino try to set me up and hating on me at every turn was just too much. It was a challenge every step of the way and I felt like I didn't even want to go to work anymore and that's just not me. I _love_ my job. I love the work I do. Ino was making me hate everything about KAS Studios.

I wondered if I'd be able to find a job elsewhere. Maybe a magazine or book editing company? I'd love to edit books or magazine articles. I mean, it would be totally cool if I were able to finish writing my book but that takes a lot of time and money that I just don't have.

Well, I have 2 days off now. Maybe I could work on my book? I had it saved to an online storage site. I could easily access it at home. Writing calms me down. It helps me drown out the rest of the world. I love the feeling of pouring my heart and soul into a story, putting a little bit of me in every character, plot and place.

Next thing I knew, I was sitting in my tiny backyard with a beer in my hand staring at the brown and dirty fence falling apart at the end of my property.

How I got there and what happened in between that time is unknown to me.

When I finally got a grip of myself, I heard someone moving around in my kitchen behind me. So I turned to look and saw Sai happily working on the dishes in the sink. With a tired smile, I stood and went back in, coming up behind him and wrapping my arms around his middle, hugging him to me.

"Feeling better now?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. Did I say anything to you when I came in?" I asked, a little afraid of what the answer would be.

"No, you just stormed in angry, threw your stuff down, grabbed a beer and headed outside, muttering to yourself about a book."

"Oh good…"

"You're home early. Wanna tell me what happened to put you in such a mood?"

With a heavy sigh, I let go of him and moved to lean against the counter, crossing my arms across my chest. I hadn't really told him about Ino or the situation at work. I figured it was something he didn't need to know. But I'm sure he needs to know why his boyfriend is going to be home for 2 days.

"The new Systems Manager at work, Yamanaka Ino? The mean one we met in Korea. Well she has something against me. She's been trying to get me into trouble since she started and I just caught her trying to plant some important documents on my desk. So I called her out on it and brought it to Tsunade-baa-chan. Of course the Pig-face denied it all and tried to blame me. So until Tsunade-baa-chan investigates it more, I'm suspended for 2 days and Yamanaka has been suspended for a week…" I explained, taking my trench coat and mask off.

"That's awful. Doesn't your office have security cameras?"

"No. Only in the studios where all the expensive filming equipment is. And in the lobby where people come in and out. I'm just frustrated is all. I thought about working on my book for a day or two. Make some progress on it maybe," I shrugged.

"You're writing a book?" Sai asked, his interest peaked.

I flush slightly and nod. I haven't told anyone about my book before. "Yeah. I've been working on it for a few years. Nothing special. I usually only work on it at work when I have free time."

"What's it about?" Sai moved and stood in front of me, his warm hands on my hips. I could feel his heat through my pants and it sent an excited shiver up my spine.

"Oh, you know, just a fantasy novel. It's kind of lame really," I tried to brush it off.

"Fantasy? So something made up, right? About what?" he pressed further, his inky black eyes shining with interest.

"Uhm… it's about this boy who grows up without parents in a village full of ninjas. Turns out he's got amazing power inside him despite his idiotic appearances. He struggles to learn the ninja arts and tries to become the next Hokage, leader and protector of the village. It's just about his struggles and his life, trying to make friends everywhere he goes, protecting his important people, having a friendly rivalry with his best friend till his friend goes bad… just, lame stuff like that…"

"I don't think that's lame. I think that's a brilliant story! How far along are you?"

"I dunno, to be honest. I'm only on him at 16 and during the Shinobi War… I don't know if I want to continue it or keep going… it's just up in the air."

"Could I read it?"

That made me pause for a moment. Was I ok with him reading it? I mean, I was chronic for not letting people read my things before I was done writing them. I didn't like the pressure that came when they got to the end and said "That's it?"

"Uh… Sure. I guess it couldn't hurt. I could print it off for you if you'd like?" I felt like maybe Sai wasn't that kind of person. Maybe he would be just as excited about it later as he was now and urge me to write more.

So a little while later found us in my office. I had printed off the story, which, by the way, was a _ton_ of paper… I mean, I _have_ been writing this for over 4 years so there was a lot I had gotten done. So Sai sat in the comfy chair in the corner behind me as I sat in my office chair at my computer.

I had a mug of coffee beside me, my feet tucked in comfortably beneath me, my head phones on and my favorite music playing, my story open and waiting for me and my supportive boyfriend reading what I had and encouraging me to write more. I felt on top of the world! I could feel my inspiration bubbling inside me. My fingers twitched, desperate to start pounding the key board and get all my ideas out onto paper. Life was good.

It was a couple hours later when I felt a weight press against my back that made me realize that I was _not_ in the middle of a shinobi battle using my super awesome chakra and a demon inside me to fight. I was at home. My coffee mug was empty, my music was suddenly too loud, my feet and legs were cramped and Sai was trying to get my attention.

I pulled out my head phones and painfully uncurled my stiff legs. "Yeah? What's up?"

"Sakura is home and wants to talk to you in the living room," he kissed my cheek softly before leaving me.

It took me a few moments to get the feeling back in my legs. Then I wobbled my way into the living room. Sakura was sitting on the couch, laughing and talking to Sai when I walked in. When I sat beside her she smiled brightly at me, her jade eyes glowing. Her pink hair was getting long again.

"Naruto! So what the heck happened at work today?" She asked.

So I took the time to tell her the story about how I found Ino crouched behind the cubicle, made sexual advances on me, and then proceeded to still blame me when I took it to Tsunade. The more I explained, the angrier she got.

"I can't believe her! How ridiculous! She has the audacity to go and try something like that?! That's just… I mean how could she… It isn't right for her to…URGH!" Sakura was so mad she didn't even know what to say. It was cute. I just smiled at her.

"It's ok, Sakura… really. Having the time off is letting me have the time to work on my book. So it's a good thing. Anyways, what did you wanna talk to me about?"

"Well…" she fidgeted with the hem of her white dress. "Uh, to start, I wanted to thank you very much for letting me stay here, Naruto. Even though I tried to pay you rent you refused it so I really appreciate it and everything you've done for me. It was really hard to let go and get over Sasuke and I don't think I could have done it without you."

I smiled but I got the feeling that she was going to tell me she was leaving. Not that anything was wrong with that but I had gotten so used to her presence here. So used to driving her to work and hanging out with her here. It would be sad to see her go. "You know you are my best friend, Sakura. I'd do anything for you," I said.

"Yes I know. Likewise, Naruto. You are the greatest guy I've ever met. And if you weren't dating Sai I'm sure I would have fallen for you," she laughed, winking over at Sai who just smirked. "Do you remember the guy I danced with and stayed with when we went to the bar?"

I had a feeling I knew where this was going. "Yeah. The guy with the tattoos?"

She nodded. "We've been hitting it off. We traded numbers and we've been hanging out and texting and talking a lot. I really like him. I think you would too, Naruto. I'd really like for you to meet him."

"Sure, Sakura. That would be great. I'm glad you found someone you like!" I smiled, letting her know my excitement and happiness for her.

"Great! And one more thing… uhm…" she fidgeted with her dress again, getting nervous. "As much as I love staying with you, Naruto… I really do… I decided to look for my own place. I found a few apartments close by and I'll be looking at them in the next couple days but by December 1st I'm sure I'll be out…" she finished with her voice low. Almost sad.

"Wow, that's great, Sakura! I'm so proud of you! I mean, it'll be sad to see you go, but you're an adult woman… you need your own space and to feel independent. Congratulations!" I hugged her to let her know I wasn't upset. And I wasn't. Not really. I was happy for her. Moving on to a new life, getting herself back in order again. This was the happiest I've seen her in a very long time.

"I'm glad you think so! You're such a great friend, Naruto… really, you are." She tackled me, pushing me over on the couch as she cried happily into my chest, her arms tight around my neck.

…

Later that night, I finally stopped typing, feeling exhausted. It was 3:30am so no wonder. Sai and Sakura had gone to bed hours ago but I just had a great idea for my story and I had to get it out. That thing led to another and I ended up staying up much too long. But I felt happy with what I had accomplished. I saved my work and rubbed my blue eyes tiredly as I made my way to my bedroom.

I undressed quietly, hoping not to wake Sai and crawled into bed, curling my body around his and sighing into his warmth. Instantly my body relaxed and I fell asleep with a grin in my face.

…

**Woohoo. Another chapter! This one was a bit longer and a bunch of random trivial things but some important things as well! I just wanted to get a bunch out so I could make some progress. **

**Thank you to all my loyal readers who keep coming back for this story! And thanks to the TWO who commented on my last chapter. I appreciate it. **

**I hope you all enjoyed this new installment and keep coming back for more! **

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Love you all,**

**TLC**


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